Harwich Redoubt facts for kids
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The Harwich Redoubt is a round fort built a long time ago, in 1808. Its job was to protect the important port of Harwich, in Essex, England. It was built because people were worried that Napoleon might try to invade the United Kingdom. Today, a group called The Harwich Society looks after it and opens it for people to visit.
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Building the Harwich Redoubt
The Harwich Redoubt was built between 1808 and 1810. It was part of a big plan to protect Britain from Napoleon's army. This plan also included building many Martello Towers along the coast. The Harwich Redoubt was designed to hold ten large cannons.
The fort was built on a hill just outside Harwich. This spot was perfect because it gave the cannons a clear view of the River Stour and the River Orwell. These rivers lead into the harbour. The cannons at the Redoubt could also work with the guns at Landguard Fort on the other side of the water to create a strong defense. Building the Redoubt cost about £32,000, which was a huge amount of money back then!
What Does the Redoubt Look Like?
The Harwich Redoubt is mostly made of brick with some stone parts. It's shaped like a big circle, about 61 meters (200 feet) wide. In the middle, there's a parade ground where soldiers would gather, which is about 26 meters (85 feet) across.
The ground floor has 18 special rooms called casemates. These rooms spread out from the parade ground like spokes on a wheel. They were used for soldiers to sleep, store supplies, and even had bathrooms and a kitchen. Two of these rooms were used to store gunpowder and cannon shells safely. Lifts would bring the ammunition up to the cannons.
On the roof of these casemates is a platform where the cannons were placed. This platform has ten openings for the cannons to fire through. Around the fort, there's a wide ditch, about 16 meters (52 feet) wide and 7 meters (23 feet) deep. This ditch helped protect the fort from enemy attacks.
The Redoubt's Military Life
When it was first built, the Redoubt had ten large 24-pounder cannons. As technology improved, the fort was updated to hold even bigger guns.
- In 1861–1862, the fort was changed to hold 68-pounder cannons. The places where the cannons sat were made stronger with granite to protect them from new, more powerful enemy artillery.
- Just ten years later, in 1872, three spots were changed again to hold enormous 12-ton guns! These were called RML (rifled muzzle loading) guns.
- In 1903, three spots got 12-pounder QF (quick firing) guns, which could shoot much faster.
Even with all these updates, the Harwich Redoubt never actually fired its guns in a real battle. Its importance probably lessened towards the end of the 1800s when a stronger fort, Beacon Hill Battery, was built nearby. In the 1920s, the land around the Redoubt was bought by the town. This land is now used for allotments, which are small plots of land people use for gardening. The Redoubt itself started to fall apart.
The Redoubt was used again for a short time during World War II. It was used as a place to defend against enemy aircraft. It also held British soldiers who were waiting for their trials. You can still see some of the messages these soldiers wrote on the walls inside the rooms.
After World War II, the Redoubt was used by the British Civil Defence organization. They used it until their group was closed down. That was the end of the Redoubt's time as a military fort.
Bringing the Redoubt Back to Life
The Harwich Redoubt was listed as an Ancient Monument, which means it's a very important historical site. In July 1969, people started working to restore it, and this work is still going on today! When they began, they found one of the huge 9-inch, 12-ton RML guns buried in the dry ditch around the fort. It had been pushed in when it became too old to use, because it was too big and strong to break apart for scrap metal.
Today, the Redoubt is open as a museum. It's the biggest ancient monument in the UK that is being restored by a group of volunteers. Inside, you can see some of the original guns that were at the Redoubt, including the huge 9-inch RML gun. There are also many other guns on display. The rooms around the parade ground have been set up to show what they might have looked like when soldiers lived there, or they are used for other exhibitions. You can see many replica firearms. During the summer, special events like battle re-enactments are held there.
