Skip to main content

The Maunsell Sea Forts

Location

Thames estuary

United Kingdom

51° 27' 51.66" N, 0° 58' 16.7412" E

See map: Google Maps

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.

You might be interested in

River Neva Cruise

St. Petersburg lies at the confluence of the river Neva and the Gulf of Finland. The terrain earned the city its nickname – the Venice of the North.

Palace Square

The Palace Square has been the central point of St. Petersburg since the city was built. On this place many significant events happened, including the October Revolution that changed the modern world.

Peterhof Palace

The royal court of the emperor Peter the Great, Peterhof, is often called the Russian Versailles. It is the huge complex of palaces and surrounding parks, located some 30 kilometers from the St. Petersburg center.

St. Stephen’s Basilica

Hungarians are very proud of their history. Their country exists more than one millennium and their first king takes a special place in Hungarian history.

Castle Hill

Castle Hill is placed high above the city on the Buda side. In the 13th century, Mongolian tribes were advancing from the east to the Europe, leaving only death and horror behind.

Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmet Mosque is truly an impressive building. It has six minarets and its domes are placed to form a pyramidal structure. The ceramics used on the facade are blue, giving this building a nickname, the Blue Mosque.

Interesting places nearby

Ventron

Summer and winter family tourist resort. Village of 940 residents (Les Véternats), calm, pleasant, in a nest of greenery.
From 600 to 1200 m of altitude, at the heart of the Massif Vosgien

Wengen

The Swiss ski resort Wengen is surrounded by the mountains Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau and Lauberhorn. It offers slopes of all difficulty levels.

Vaujany

Sitting tiny, facing the splendid private://Massif des Grandes Roussesprivate:// mountains Vaujany encaptures the charm and the seduction of an authentic Alpine high altitiude village.

Vals

The quiet and personal skiing-area Vals is located at the Dachberg between 1270 metres an 2941 highness. It is known for a lot of snow.

Valmorel

Nestled on the edge of forests covering he sides of the Cheval Noir Mountain, Valmorel is a typically charming ski resort village, whose architecture is unequalled in France.

Valgrisenche

Closed in by the Rutor mountain group, the Grande Sassière and the Grande Rousse, the Valgrisenche is known as the snowiest of the side valleys of the Aosta Valley.