The Explore:
When I first started exploring I spent a lot of time researching places to visit in my local area, Medway. One place that really caught my interest was the underground main magazine of the Napoleonic era Fort Pitt in Chatham. As far as we could tell nobody had been inside since KURG visited in 2011, who then sealed it back up behind themselves. We spent hours searching for old maps, plans, aerial photos, and writings about the fort, looking for any details that would give away a potential entrance. Between our research, discussion with knowledgeable friends on this forum, and some good old recon, we finally managed to find what we were looking for. Unfortunately the way in wasn’t going to be an easy one. By this point we were determined to see inside for ourselves, so we sat down and devised a plan. After a couple weeks we all met on the arranged evening to go over the details one last time. When the time was right we made our way to the location and put the plan into action. I would love to go into details about what that entailed, but it would give the game away. After successfully making it inside we spent 2-3 hours looking around and taking pictures. Once it was finally time to leave we carefully closed it back up behind us and went our separate ways for the evening, all ecstatic at what we’d just managed.
The History:
Fort Pitt is a Napoleonic era fort built in 1805. It's situated on the high ground overlooking the South bank of the River Medway, between the boundaries of Chatham and Rochester in Kent. The fort was named after Prime Minister William Pitt and was an integral part of the defensive ring of fortifications around Chatham Dockyard, a location of huge naval importance at the time.
Fort Pitt was constructed using red brick in a roughly pentagonal shape, featuring a bastion at each corner. On the Northern face there was a detached casemated set of barracks forming the blockhouse designed to house 500 men. These were surrounded by a 15-20 foot deep defensive ditch. On the southern edge there was a defended outwork named a Ravelin, reached via a covered passage across the dry ditch named a Caponier. There were a number of buildings in the forts interior such as storehouses, magazines, and a hospital block., with the dominating feature being a three-story main tower, of a similar design to the one still standing at nearby Fort Clarence.
The main entrance to the fort was approached by road from the North-East, with a drawbridge going over the dry ditch. This entrance was watched over by a guardhouse located to the east of the casemated blockhouse. One entrance to the blockhouse itself was through an underground passageway, leading from a separate guardhouse situated inside the counterscarp wall to the west of the blockhouse. The fort had two outlying defences named Delce Tower to West, and Gibraltar Tower to the North-East. These towers were built to control the roads leading towards Rochester bridge. Delce Tower was connected to the main fort via a covered way leading out from the Ravelin.
Timeline:
The Pictures:
When I first started exploring I spent a lot of time researching places to visit in my local area, Medway. One place that really caught my interest was the underground main magazine of the Napoleonic era Fort Pitt in Chatham. As far as we could tell nobody had been inside since KURG visited in 2011, who then sealed it back up behind themselves. We spent hours searching for old maps, plans, aerial photos, and writings about the fort, looking for any details that would give away a potential entrance. Between our research, discussion with knowledgeable friends on this forum, and some good old recon, we finally managed to find what we were looking for. Unfortunately the way in wasn’t going to be an easy one. By this point we were determined to see inside for ourselves, so we sat down and devised a plan. After a couple weeks we all met on the arranged evening to go over the details one last time. When the time was right we made our way to the location and put the plan into action. I would love to go into details about what that entailed, but it would give the game away. After successfully making it inside we spent 2-3 hours looking around and taking pictures. Once it was finally time to leave we carefully closed it back up behind us and went our separate ways for the evening, all ecstatic at what we’d just managed.
The History:
Fort Pitt is a Napoleonic era fort built in 1805. It's situated on the high ground overlooking the South bank of the River Medway, between the boundaries of Chatham and Rochester in Kent. The fort was named after Prime Minister William Pitt and was an integral part of the defensive ring of fortifications around Chatham Dockyard, a location of huge naval importance at the time.
Fort Pitt was constructed using red brick in a roughly pentagonal shape, featuring a bastion at each corner. On the Northern face there was a detached casemated set of barracks forming the blockhouse designed to house 500 men. These were surrounded by a 15-20 foot deep defensive ditch. On the southern edge there was a defended outwork named a Ravelin, reached via a covered passage across the dry ditch named a Caponier. There were a number of buildings in the forts interior such as storehouses, magazines, and a hospital block., with the dominating feature being a three-story main tower, of a similar design to the one still standing at nearby Fort Clarence.
The main entrance to the fort was approached by road from the North-East, with a drawbridge going over the dry ditch. This entrance was watched over by a guardhouse located to the east of the casemated blockhouse. One entrance to the blockhouse itself was through an underground passageway, leading from a separate guardhouse situated inside the counterscarp wall to the west of the blockhouse. The fort had two outlying defences named Delce Tower to West, and Gibraltar Tower to the North-East. These towers were built to control the roads leading towards Rochester bridge. Delce Tower was connected to the main fort via a covered way leading out from the Ravelin.
Timeline:
- 1779 - Chief engineer at Chatham, Hugh Debbing, proposed the rebuilding and extension of the lower Chatham lines protecting Chatham dockyard. This included the construction of a separate fort on the high ground where Fort Pitt now stands.
- 1782 - The British war office purchases the land where Fort Pitt now stands by act of parliament.
- 1783 - Construction on Fort Pitt was suspended following the end of the American war of independence (1775-1783)
- 1803 - Following the start of the Napoleonic war (1803-1815) construction was finally started on the site when a military hospital was built. This is now named Crimea House, a grade 2 listed building still standing on the site to this day.
- 1805 - Construction began on the fort itself with the defensive ramparts being built around the existing hospital.
- 1812 - Construction on two supporting defences named Delce Tower to West and Gibraltar Tower to the North-East was completed. These towers were built to control the roads towards Rochester bridge. Delce Tower was connected to the main fort via a covered way.
- 1813 - Treasury records show construction on the main fort was completed.
- 1815 - Wounded soldiers from the Battle of Waterloo were housed at the hospital within the fort.
- 1828 - As the need for defensive fortifications passed, Fort Pitt became primarily a hospital once again.
- 1847 - An asylum for mentally ill servicemen was constructed within the grounds. This is now a Grade 2 listed building still standing on the site today.
- 1849 - Fort Pitt was designated General Military Hospital status.
- 1855 - Queen Victoria came to the hospital on three occasions to visit soldiers wounded in the Crimean war.
- 1856 - Florence Nightingale visited Fort Pitt following the end of the Crimean war.
- 1858 - Florence Nightingale recommends Fort Pitt as the location for the first Army Medical School.
- 1860 - The new Army Medical School opens.
- 1863 - After just three years the Army Medical School leaves Fort Pitt and moves to Netley.
- 1873 - Fort Pitt becomes a garrison hospital and its medical officers came under the direct command of the Army Medical Service instead of the local regiment.
- 1879 - Gibraltar Tower to the north-east of the fort was demolished. Delce Tower to the west was likely demolished shortly afterwards
- 1910 - The main central tower of Fort Pitt was demolished.
- 1914 - King George V and Queen Mary visited the hospital to meet soldiers wounded in WW1. During WW1 the hospital also treated German soldiers, who upon recovery were held in the blockhouse till the end of the war.
- 1919 - The hospital on the site closed.
- 1929 - The local Education Board bought the site of Fort Pitt from the war office for £6000, converting the hospital building’s into classrooms for Chatham Day Technical School for Girls who were relocating to the site.
- 1932 - The main Blockhouse at the North end of the fort was demolished.
- 1939-45 - During WW2 the underground Magazines and chambers were fitted with heating and lighting for use as air raid shelters for the school. A Defensive earthwork line was put in place across the length of Jackson field and another running parallel to city way.
- 1970 - The new college building built on the site of the old Blockhouse was opened.
- 1973 - A large fire at the school destroys several classrooms and offices.
- 1984 - The school is renamed Fort Pitt Grammar School.
The Pictures:
