The Maunsell Sea Forts

KarlH's picture

Location

Thames estuary 
United Kingdom
51° 27' 51.66" N, 0° 58' 16.7412" E
GB
General info: 

During the WWII, British army built small fortified towers along the Thames and Mersey estuaries in order to protect the United Kingdom from German invasion. These forts were the first line of defence, but after the war they stopped being important for the military. In the mid-fifties the British army decided that they no longer needed the forts and left them behind.

The winds and waves did nothing to the forts as they were built to endure much harder conditions. Today, these over 70-years- old structures are a symbol of defiance to invaders. Many famous artists get their inspiration from the Maunsell forts. For example, the band ‘Prodigy’ featured them in the video for their hit ‘Invadors Must Die’.

Getting there: 

The Maunsell Sea Fortrs are located in the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Mersey. There are companies organizing boat tours to see the fortrs, for example http://x-pilot.co.uk/services.htm.

On a clear day you can also see the forts from Shoeburyness East Beach.

Costs: 

Price info for the tours not available.

Interesting places nearby

The giant Monterosa ski area is one of the world's largest, and thanks to recent investment in new lifts you can now ski or board without needing to stop for 180km between the resorts of Champoluc and Gressoney and Gressoney on to Alagna

Champoussin : This Valaisan village, built in the architectural style typical of the Val d’Illiez, will enchant you with its rustic authenticity.

The Chamrousse ski resort is at the situated just at the entrance to an area known as the Belledonne, only 30km from Grenoble.

The traditional mountain village of Charmey lies at the heart of La Gruyère. As a guest here you will benefit from a highly developed tourist infrastructure within a pristine landscape.

BASE: 4429ft
SUMMIT: 5675ft
VERTICAL DROP: 1246ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 7
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 0
Surface: 7

Château-d’Oex an outstanding snow region, excellent ski-lifts and pistes that connect to each other.