Grain Wing Battery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grain Wing Battery |
|
|---|---|
| Grain, Kent, England | |
 Grain Wing Battery
|
|
| Coordinates | 51°27′17″N 0°43′15″E / 51.454757°N 0.720774°E |
| Type | Fortification |
| Site information | |
| Owner | St James, Isle of Grain Parish Council |
| Condition | Surface buildings demolished, emplacements infilled |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1890–95 |
| Built by | United Kingdom |
| In use | 1895–1956 |
| Materials | Earth, concrete |
| Demolished | 1960s |
The Grain Wing Battery was a special place where big guns were once kept. It's located near the village of Grain, Kent, right where the River Thames and River Medway meet. This battery helped protect the area alongside other forts like Grain Fort and Dummy Battery. It also worked with Grain Tower (which is in the water) and Garrison Point Fort across the river.
The battery was made of earth and had several spots for guns. It was finished in 1895 but only used for its guns for a few years. However, the Army kept buildings inside it for a while. The battery was left empty in 1956. A few years later, its remains were taken down and filled in. Today, the site is a coastal park run by the local council.
Contents
Why Was Grain Wing Battery Built?
Many forts and batteries were built in this area over 40 years. At first, they were built because people worried about attacks from France. Later, they were updated to stop German ships from attacking important military and trading places along the Thames and Medway rivers.
The Grain Wing Battery was the last fort built at the mouth of the Medway. It was meant to add more firepower to Grain Fort, which was about 50 meters (164 feet) north, and Dummy Battery, about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) south. It was placed next to a military road that connected these two forts.
How Was the Battery Constructed?
The battery had four places for guns on a diamond-shaped mound of earth. It had a hollow space in the middle. The front of the battery had a gentle slope called a glacis. This slope helped hide the battery from enemies.
The gun spots were lined up along the front wall. Storage areas for ammunition and shelters for soldiers were built underneath. A ditch surrounded the walls, and inside the ditch was a fence that was hard to climb. Special spots for measuring distances to targets were built at the ends of the walls.
What Happened During Its Use?
When it was first built, Grain Wing Battery had two large 11-inch guns. These were called rifled muzzle loaders and were used against big warships. It also had two smaller 4.7-inch quick-firing guns. These were for faster, smaller enemy ships like torpedo boats and destroyers.
In 1914, the guns were removed from the battery. The 4.7-inch guns were moved to Grain Tower. Even without its main guns, the battery was still used for infantry defense during the First World War. Buildings were put inside to house soldiers temporarily. Low walls, called breastworks, were also built between the gun spots to protect soldiers.
The battery and other defenses nearby were no longer needed after 1956. The local council bought the site in 1961. The buildings on the surface were taken down, and the gun spots were filled in by 1966.
What Does It Look Like Today?
Today, the Grain Wing Battery site is part of the Isle of Grain Coastal Park. A group called the Friends of the Coastal Park helps manage it with the owners, St James Parish Council.
The original earth mounds of the battery are still there. They are a bit overgrown now, but you can still see where the gun spots and range finder positions were. They look like dips in the ground and short pieces of concrete. The battery is part of a scheduled monument. This means it's a protected historical site that includes other coastal defenses on the Isle of Grain.
