Hoo Fort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hoo Fort |
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| Rochester, Kent, England | |
Hoo Fort in the River Medway
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 Hoo Fort
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| Coordinates | 51°24′12″N 00°34′53″E / 51.40333°N 0.58139°E |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Medway Ports |
| Condition | Intact |
| Site history | |
| Built | 19th century |
| Built by | Captain Siborne, R.E., |
| Materials | Concrete skirts and brickwork |
| Events | Never used |
| Official name | Hoo Fort |
| Designated | 1 November 1963 |
| Reference no. | 1019643 |
Hoo Fort is an old military fort. It was built in the 1800s to help protect the River Medway in Kent, England. It is located on Hoo Island. This island is south of the Hoo Peninsula.
Hoo Fort was built at the same time as Fort Darnet. Both forts were part of a plan to defend the United Kingdom. You can see Hoo Fort from the Saxon Shore Way, a walking path near Hoo.
History of Hoo Fort
Hoo Fort was designed to hold many large guns. These guns would have been placed in two rows, one above the other. There was also a plan to stretch a giant chain, called a boom, across the river between Hoo Fort and Fort Darnet. This boom would stop enemy ships.
However, building the fort was tricky. The ground was soft, causing problems with the fort sinking. Because of these issues and high costs, the forts were finished in 1871. They ended up with only one row of eleven large guns. These were called 9-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns. Each gun was placed in its own protected room, called a casemate. These rooms had strong armor to keep the gunners safe. The boom was never built.
The forts were no longer used by the military before World War I began. During World War II, Hoo Fort was used as a lookout spot. Soldiers built platforms and small concrete shelters, called pillboxes, on top of the fort. From here, they could watch for enemy activity.
Today, Hoo Fort is still in good shape. It is a special historical site known as a Scheduled Monument. Medway Ports owns the fort.
