Slough Fort Grant

In May 2024 the Fortress Study Group was pleased to award the Slough Fort Preservation Trust a grant to assist in the restoration of the West Wing Battery disappearing gun pit and the battery access road. In this article Keith Gulvin gives us an update on progress. Further details of the grant are at the end of the article. 

The restoration of the West Wing at Slough Fort by Keith Gulvin, Slough Fort Preservation Trust.

This is the first of two planned articles concerning the Wing Batteries at Slough Fort covering restoration work to the surviving features of the West Wing Battery, which has been supported by a grant from the FSG. The second article will feature the rediscovery of the lost 6-inch disappearing gun pit at the East Battery.

Slough Fort is recognised as being the smallest of the Palmerston Forts having been completed in 1874 as semi-circular granite tower to prevent a beach landing on the Hoo Peninsula at Allhallows and protect the rear defences on the Isle of Grain. Its position being the only point that could not be flooded in the event of an invasion and connecting to a ridge that ran along the Hoo Peninsular facilitating direct access to the Medway Towns, Chatham Dockyard and on towards London.

The 1891 layout of Slough Fort showing the West Wing Battery to the left with the buried 6-inch position to far left. Centre left is the original roadway and entrance to the Fort at that time (National Archives WO78-4531)

The original Fort was armed with ten 7-inch Armstrong Breach Loading Guns, which were quickly found to be ineffective. As the casemated construction of the fort did not allow for the provision of more modern armament the decision was made in 1891 to provide two wing batteries, one either side of the fort. Each battery consisting of a 6-inch and a 9.2-inch emplacement for disappearing guns. The original fort was reduced in height, converted to barracks and given a Twydall profile, which included burying the remaining exposed front face of the fort. 

The West Wing Battery remained armed with it's disappearing guns until around 1910, even after the East Wing Battery was rebuilt and rearmed with two en barbette (not disappearing) mounted 9.2-inch BL Guns in 1900. At this time the eastern 6-inch emplacement was buried and it’s rediscovery will be the subject of a second article. The west wing was not rearmed and this article covers the excavation and restoration of the 9.2-inch disappearing gun emplacement in the west wing battery.

Drawing of 9.2-inch Disappearing gun Mk 1 as mounted at Slough Fort (Picture Palmerston Fort Society)

The west wing battery was abandoned and became delict. In the early 1980’s the 6-inch position and associated roadway and magazine complex was covered over and incorporated into the nearby holiday park. A few years later the holdfast pit of the remaining 9.2-inch BL position was concreted over and extensive damage done to the rear of the battery to facilitate the creation of a dressage area for the riding school that had taken over the Fort site. Since Slough Fort Preservation Trust (SFPT) took over the Fort in 2018 the remaining section of the West Wing Battery became a storage area for materials and remained uncared for while work progressed elsewhere on the Fort.

Infilled 9.2-inch Disappearing Gun Pit in the west wing battery prior to removal of concrete capping and clay infill (picture Author)

In the early part of 2024, SFPT decided to carry out excavation of the remains of the West Wing battery by removing the remains of the overlaying material of the dressage area to see what remained and to remove the concrete in the holdfast pit and other rogue structures. Initially Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) was sought and obtained from Historic England to excavate the surface area of the former dressage area to determine what remained of the original roadway, uncover the remains of the original 1891 gateway, remove intrusive concrete features including excavating the holdfast pit, rebuild a demolished concrete retaining wall and reform the damaged earthworks. 

This work was completed over a period of around six weeks. It sadly revealed that the roadway and drainage gullies had been badly damaged. It also confirmed the extent of the missing concrete aprons to the rear of the gun position but did reveal the holdfast ring in the bottom of the pit which had suffered some damage in what appears to have been an attempt to remove it. The final digging in very difficult clay infill was done my hand. The missing retaining wall was rebuilt, and the earthworks restored to the 1891 profile.

The exposed areas of damaged roadways and associated gullies and the now exposed holdfast ring were now the subject of a second SMC to allow for repairs to the roadway and gullies and for the conservation of the holdfast ring and exposed gate opening runners of the original entrance.

Batch of recast gulleys awaiting installation (Photo Colin Davis).

Plans were agreed with Historic England and SMC granted to carry out the reinstatement part of the work. A mould was created to replace around fifty damaged or missing sections of gully, at one point we were turning one out almost daily and when we had four five cured they were laid in place. The damaged concrete apron was replaced using bitumen to create expansion joints using original methods wherever possible.

The work of cleaning up, treating and painting of the holdfast ring was carried out over a three-month period by a small, dedicated team of our volunteers. After reinstatement work to the roadway with hoggin (a compacted mixture of clay, gravel, and sand or stone dust) and gravel the project was completed in early September of this year. The support of the FSG has been invaluable in achieving this goal.

If you are able, please visit Slough Fort to learn more about this fascinating site and follow the progress of the restoration work by dedicated volunteers.