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Monument record TQ 77 NW 149 - Possible site of Higham Blockhouse

Summary

Higham Blockhouse was a small artillery blockhouse built by Henry VIII in 1539 as part of his chain of coastal defences in response to the threat of foreign invasion. It was one of five blockhouses built along this stretch of the river Thames to defend the approach to London and the dockyards at Woolwich and Deptford; the others being at Tilbury, East Tilbury, Milton and Gravesend (TQ 67 SW 5). It was decommissioned in 1553 and demolished in 1557-8.It was probably a D-shaped blockhouse similar to Gravesend and East Tilbury blockhouses. Nothing remains of the blockhouse and its precise location is not known although it may have stood on the west bank of Shorne Creek where it meets the River Thames. Another possible location for the blockhouse is suggested by Spurrell in an 1885 paper, therefore two potential locations for the structure have been added to the map depiction.

Location

Grid reference	Centred TQ 70 75 (19m by 346m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	TQ77NW
County	KENT
District	GRAVESHAM, KENT
Civil Parish	HIGHAM, GRAVESHAM, KENT

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Type and Period (2)

Full Description

A bulwark or blockhouse at Higham, mentioned in 1540, was one of five authorised for the Thames defences in 1539. [It is now shown on Robert Adam's Map of the Thames Defences 1588.] (a)(b) (1). No further information; there is nothing to be seen on the Higham parish foreshore (2).

Additional index entries and references from relevant site reports (3-8).
Possible location of blockhouse, referred to by Spurrell who describes a quantity of stone and rubble in layers (9). Mentioned in context with other Thames defences (10). Site photographs (11-15).

Whilst no remnants of the Higham blockhouse survive today, the remains of one of the five contemporary blockhouses built in the late 1530s survives at Gravesend (TQ 67 SW 5). This structure was probably similar in form to the Higham blockhouse, therefore it is possible to extrapolate elements of the construction methodology, materials, and the form of the building from these remains.
The Gravesham blockhouse was brick built with ashlar-faced walls. The main tower was D-shaped in form and had a curved front which overlooked the Thames. Gun ports facing the river would have existed on each floor of the structure, including the ground level, internal floors, and the roof. (16)

<1> L & P Hy VIII 1540 323 (OS Card Reference). SKE45981.

<2> L & P Hy VIII 1 1539 398 (OS Card Reference). SKE45980.

<3> Ant J 1960 154 map (AD Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE33151.

<4> F1 FGA 13-NOV-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42920.

<5> Ant J 40 1960 153 (AD Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE33185.

<6> Arch Cant 89 1974 141-68 (VTC Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE35971.

<7> Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 9 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE43683.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 77 NW 19 - November, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4240.

<9> Spurrell, F. C. J., 1885, Early sites and embankments on the margins of the Thames estuary., p 289 (Article in serial). SWX7560.

<10> Saunders, Andrew, 1995, Thames fortifications during the 16th to 19th centuries (Article in monograph). SWX9358.

<11> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9422.

<12> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9859.

<13> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9866.

<14> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10003.

<15> 1978, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10929.

<16> Victor Smith, 2022, The Tudor Gravesend Blockhouse Restabilised (Article in serial). SKE59000.

Sources/Archives (16)

<1> SKE45981 OS Card Reference: L & P Hy VIII 1540 323.
<2> SKE45980 OS Card Reference: L & P Hy VIII 1 1539 398.
<3>XY SKE33151 OS Card Reference: Ant J 1960 154 map (AD Saunders). [Mapped feature: #25256 defence, ]
<4> SKE42920 OS Card Reference: F1 FGA 13-NOV-64.
<5> SKE33185 OS Card Reference: Ant J 40 1960 153 (AD Saunders).
<6> SKE35971 OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 89 1974 141-68 (VTC Smith).
<7> SKE43683 OS Card Reference: Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 9 (D Bennett).
<8> SKE4240 Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 77 NW 19 - November, 1964.
<9>XY SWX7560 Article in serial: Spurrell, F. C. J.. 1885. Early sites and embankments on the margins of the Thames estuary.. 42, pages 269-302. p 289. [Mapped feature: #163581 p. 288-289]
<10> SWX9358 Article in monograph: Saunders, Andrew. 1995. Thames fortifications during the 16th to 19th centuries. 124-134.
<11> SWX9422 Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 3108. print.
<12> SWX9859 Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4045. print.
<13> SWX9866 Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4068. print.
<14> SWX10003 Photograph (Print): 1942. Photograph. 36. print.
<15> SWX10929 Photograph (Print): 1978. Photograph. TQ6974/2. print.
<16> SKE59000 Article in serial: Victor Smith. 2022. The Tudor Gravesend Blockhouse Restabilised. Issue 119 (Winter 2022).