# East Tilbury Battery (Pic Heavy)



## Weeto (Mar 21, 2012)

I've been here a couple of times over the last couple of years and plan to go again, now i have enough good pics and info to write a report.
This site has been on here and other forums before but not with as much info etc. 

East Tilbury battery was built to supplement Coalhouse Fort as part of the Thames' coastal defence system. It was constructed between 1889-1892 for long-range fire weapons. Its form rejected the stark outline of its predecessors, instead being blended into the landscape by means of a long and sloping earthern frontal area so that from a distance it was invisible. This was known as the 'Twydall Profile'. The guns at the battery, two 10-inch Mk. III and four 6-inch Mk. VII breech-loading guns, extended the tactical doctrine of invisibility, being mounted on 'disappearing carriages' which lay flat in deep emplacements for reloading and aiming but which were raised above the parapet for the few seconds of firing. Although the guns were removed when the battery was decommissioned in 1907, the remainder of the fortification is well-preserved

This site is a S.A.M and on private land, heavily overgrown and slightly Chavved.

Detailed info and plans here: www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/easttilbury.pdf
Info on Hydropneumatic Dissapearing Mountings: www.victorianforts.co.uk/art/disappearing.htmCached

Spring 2012





Support Buildings (CookHouse, Stores and Office)








6Inch Emplacement








Ammunition Hoist




Room slightly below and to one side of 6inch Emplacement




Entrance to magazine








Heading underground








Obligatory headtorch shot




Cartridge Lift
















Overgrown glory








Any ideas?





I have close on 100 pics of this site on PB some good some not so good compact camera and dense vegetation are a problem here but i wouldnt have it any other way.
I shall be going back for the 10inchers very soon, should be fun as thats the most overgrown part
Thanks for looking


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## jonney (Mar 21, 2012)

Nice stuff there Weeto looks to be quite a lot still left round there and in good condition, mother nature is certainly trying to take the site back. The gun and emplacement at Trow rock [ame]http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=18209[/ame] is a replica of a Hydropneumatic Disappearing gun that was originally built about 200yards away in the shallow waters of South Shields bay but was never used as it was found to be too slow when lowering to load and then raising again to fire


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## flyboys90 (Mar 21, 2012)

Great site, looks prety clean too? the last photo looks like a cart wheel hub?


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## night crawler (Mar 21, 2012)

Great report, looks like a great place to explore with great finds. Agree with flyboys looks like a cart wheel hub, might be left over from the days the place was built.


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## seank1200s (Mar 21, 2012)

Really cool. love the old signage in the bunker.


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## oldscrote (Mar 21, 2012)

Good stuff weeto The last shot could be a bit of a capstan of some sort cartwheel hubs were normally made of wood


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## KingRat (Mar 22, 2012)

Really, REALLY like this. Thanks enjoyed looking and reading.


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## irishmanlost (Mar 22, 2012)

Nice job, but you should get back soon as you say it`s thick in overgrowth, which is only going to get worse now spring in on the way.


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## fluffy5518 (Mar 22, 2012)

Nice one !! This place is a stunning explore and i cant recommend it highly enough !! I paid a couple of visits here two or three years ago and it is amazing how much there is to see. Only problem is the vegetation. It has to be one of the most overgrown sites i've ever visited although still not a patch on Scoveston Fort !!


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## Mike L (Mar 23, 2012)

Some maps and plans of Coalhouse Fort and the nearby other installations:



























These images taken from this leaflet:






If anyone is planing a trip to the battery or AA site please PM me, I might well join in.

Mike


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## outkast (Mar 23, 2012)

The battery is on land owned by the farmer who lives on the farm the AA site is on, he is ok with you having a look around the AA site, its a good one to explore, as its an upgunned site, the early gun pits and commend bunker are the first bit you come across, the later stuff is further down the field, do knock at the farm and ask as he , or mottsey as he is knwn loccaly gets a bit irate if you just wander around the place, the barrack blocks you see when you first go in were used after the war as a camp for displaced persons.

if you go down to the battery you mite get a visit from the park ranger, who patrols the park around coalhouse fort, he has been keeping an eye on the battery as he recently caught pikies stealing the fencing.


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## FFerret (Mar 29, 2012)

Cracking photos, you picked a good time to go...a dry period before all the vegetation makes it evn more of a fight to get around the site than it is already.


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## highcannons (Mar 29, 2012)

Windlas/winch was the first thing I thought upon seeing the mystery object so agree with oldscrote.......nice report mate thanks.


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## sennelager66 (Apr 5, 2012)

Lovely stuff Weeto. I always find it difficult resorting to flash and usually find something to rest on with a timer facility and no flash. It depends on the lighting levels and the reflection you get off the foliage. Great photos and thanks for the share.


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