Fort Borstal and the Battle of Britain - Ramparts & Tunnel Tour, 12.30pm

Join us to explore the towering ramparts and deep tunnels of this hidden survivor of the Chatham Defences, whose finest hour came in 1940. Built between 1877 and 1899, Fort Borstal was among the very last of the Victorian anti French invasion fortifications initiated by the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. It's towering ramparts provided sweeping fields of fire across the River Medway valley, consequently also giving the most stunning views of the Kent countryside. An extensive network of pristine Victorian tunnels reach the outer galleries of the fort, actually passing beneath the surrounding defensive ditch and thus delving deep into the bowels of the earth. Co-located with the infamous Borstal Institution (you will pass it's historic but forbidding Edwardian gatehouse, as well as the razor wire-topped fences of modern-day HMP Rochester as you approach the fort), it was unusually built by convict labour. During both World Wars it's elevated location and strategic position astride the enemy flight path to London, meant it played a key role in defending the nation - it's six concrete heavy anti-aircraft gun emplacements, squeezed into the Victorian earthworks, testify to this. The Battle of Britain was undoubtedly the fort's finest hour and our tour will tell the tale of the volunteer gunners of 166 (City of Rochester) Battery, Royal Artillery, whose anti-aircraft guns blunted the massed bomber attacks of Hitler's aerial Blitz in the summer of 1940. After the war the Fort fell into ruin and disrepute - being used for what the official Conservation Statement describes enigmatically as 'various semi-commercial purposes, some of them clandestine'. Previously hidden secrets will be revealed in this fascinating, and at times startling, guided tour! You have been warned! Duration: approx. 2 hours. Meet in the car park on the east side of the Fort, approached via Fort Road. Precise location can be found using the very highly recommended What3Words geolocation app using the three words "highs.saves.rots". Please wear sturdy shoes - no high heels, flip flops etc. Bring an individual torch. Toilet facilities on site. As well as this 12.30pm tour, there are also 10am and 3pm tours listed separately on Eventbrite - click here for details of both of these, plus tours of many other secret and hidden locations across the UK. Access Statement: For those with disabilities this event is not very accessible. It features several long staircases (one with 72 steps), some without handrails. Total walking distance approx.1km.