Fort Amherst

1715- Land was surveyed by the Duke of Marlborough, and plans were drawn up, which were later shelved.

1756 The ‘Cumberland Line’ was constructed to defend Chatham Dockyard, following the French Invasion scare in 1744. Earthen bastions and Ramparts set at regular intervals, all protected by a deep ditch. The site was intended as a short-term measure, and never expected to stand the test of time.

1758- Following on from the initial construction of the site, it was completed and defended with 14 42-pounder, 10 9-pounder, 8 6-pounder and 2 4-pounder guns.

1770’s large sums of money spent to reinforce Chatham lines, including an extension of the defensive line as far as St Mary’s Creek, 2 miles away. The tunnels were constructed at this time to provide storage and barracks in the event of a siege, and ramparts and bastions reinforced with brickwork. Redoubts to both the north and south were extended. Southern Redoubt named Amherst Redoubt, after Field Marshall Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal, Commander of British Forces in America, who defeated the French in Montreal on 8th September 1760. Amherst Redoubt was to become Fort Amherst as is now is.

1785 Fort Amherst had the potential for 190 cannon, manned by a total of 700 artillerymen. These numbers of troops and ordinance were never actually deployed.

1802-1811- The threat posed by Napoleon meant that a further extension of the line was planned to protect Rochester, and this was started. Brompton barracks constructed at this time. The tunnels were also extended. It is thought that French prisoners of war carried out the work, however, it is more likely to have been carried out by prisoners from Maidstone Gaol. After Napoleon’s defeat at the battle of Waterloo on 18th June 1815, the site was scaled down. Fort Amherst was never actually used in the way that it was designed- the threat anticipated never materialised.

1820- Fort Amherst had become practically obsolete, only serving as a training facility for large siege operations overseen by the Royal Engineers.

1850- A new section of the lines was constructed named the New Ravelin which was used by the School of Military Engineering for training exercises

1860- The lines were declared completely obsolete by The Royal Committee for the Defence of the UK, after which they fell into a state of relative disrepair.

1914-1945 Fort Amherst was used during WW1 and WW2 as a location for Anti-Aircraft artillery, while the tunnels themselves were converted for use as a civil defence control centre, and military anti-invasion HQ

1959- The site was scheduled as an Ancient Monument of International Historic Importance, and intended to be used as a military museum in the 70s, which although well supported during some public open days eventually failed through lack of funds

1981- The site was purchased by Fort Amherst and Lines Trust.

1983 opened to the public, with much restoration since then, but several areas still in need of attention- Prince William's Bastion, Barracks and Battery, and Spur Battery to the East.