Fort Micro #3 ( Fort Horstead ) Traditional Cache
This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing.
Fort Micro #3 ( Fort Horstead )
A cache by [DELETED_USER]
Hidden
:
6/26/2008
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Difficulty:
-
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Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
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Fort Micro's #3
Fort Horstead
A series of caches placed at the location or approximate location
of the Victorian forts known as the Palmerston follies,
These include the Medway forts, (some of which are in private hands
and some of which are no longer in existence), as time goes on then
other forts etc may be added which are not 'Palmerston Follies' but
no harm done, except for you purist out there.
The location is generally of the main gate or what use to be the
main gate as near as I can judge, however some times it is not
possible to get to the gate so it will be somewhere adjacent, some
of them will take a bit of ingenuity.
Permission where possable has been sought.
If any body would like to expand this series please do, I would
just ask that you could let henly know first so he can keep track
of the Fort numbers and names to avoid duplication.
Work started on Fort Horsted, named after Horsa a saxon king and by
far the largest of the five, in 1880 using a convict labour force
from the newly constructed Borstal prison and supervised by the
Royal Engineers. The central tunnel and casemates were the first
features to be constructed using bricks laid on timber formers and
then covered in concrete to a depth of several metres. If you look
at the roof of the main tunnel you can see the impression left by
the timber formers. The last feature was the thirty foot deep dry
moat that completely encircles the Fort. All the chalk and flint
from this major excavation was piled on top of the concrete to
provide further protection from bombardment. By 1889 the work on
the Fort had been completed and its role of providing a garrison,
munitions store and water supply top up to Forts Luton and
Bridgewood began. Constructed in the shape of a six sided arrow
head, with each flank protected by machines guns in the
counterscarp galleries, the Fort would have been home to a garrison
of approximately 400 men and women. After a very chequered
history,In 1972 an application was made to demolish the Fort and
build 120 private homes. A two day public enquiry was held and
Geoffrey Rippon, the then secretary of state for the environment,
stated that Fort Horsted was an ancient monument of great local
interest and the application was denied, The Fort was put up for
auction and it was bought by Avondale Environmental Services Ltd in
1997. Although The secretary of state had declared it as a national
monument, entrance to the Fort is apparently restricted and I was
denied entry It seems a great pity that so many of these monuments
are in private hands and not available to the people they were
built to protect
good luck and have fun :).
Theres plenty to enjoy in Chatham and Rochester so why not make a
day of it, And do some of the other caches in the area.
.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Guvax Tngrcbfg
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