The first systematic defence of British ports was carried out by the Romans who built forts at key locations such as Dover and Portsmouth. With the arrival of the Normans in the 11th Century, they further developed many of the old Roman sites and also built new coast defence fortifications. These castle and redoubts were primarily defensive positions to be occupied by infantry. It was however Henry VII who built the first network of defences for harbours, and with the advent of gunpowder, these could be armed with offensive artillery. Many of the coast defensive fortifications built at the start of the 16th Century, were in many cases, to remain in use until 1945. It was however the Dutch attack on Chatham Dockyard in 1667 that galvanised the drive to protect British Dockyard with fortifications and defence lines. The outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars led to an examination of the existing fortifications at that time such as Portland Castle and Upnor Castle. By and large they were all found to be is a bad state of repair. However between 1795 and 1803 numerous coastal defence batteries were built and fortifications to protect harbours and dockyards. With European peace in 1815, coastal defences again declined sharply in importance.
Porchester Castle (1155)
Tower of London (1066)
Calshot Castle (1540)
Dover Castle (1217)
Wellington Front (1840)
Thorn Island (1854)
The accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837 and the growing importance of trade around the World of expanding British overseas possessions, led to new concerns. These were brought to a head in 1854 with the outbreak of the Crimean War. At this stage the smooth bore artillery piece was still the only viable artillery option, while warships were little changed from the time of Nelson. Fortifications had changed marginally in design and appearance but were generally little changed. However, the introduction of the French ironclad La Gloire in 1858 led to a news arms race. Not only was there a race for new iron clads but also for guns that could penetrate these armoured warships. On the 20th August 1859 a Royal Commission was appointed ‘to Consider the Defences of the United Kingdom’.
The report of this Royal Commission was published on 7th February 1860 having identified that there was three hundred miles of coastline along which an enemy force could land. The therefore confined their recommendations to harbours and locations that if seized by an enemy would give them a solid position to expand their occupation. The Report did not consider any increase in the regular armed forces, apart from the creation of Garrison Artillery, estimated to require about four months training. While this concept of quickly trained Garrison Artillery in 1860 may have looked viable, the rapid technological developments in the following years led to more complex weapon systems that requiring well trained gunners.
In excess of £10 million was recommended, £1 million of which was for floating defences (floating batteries)
The type of floating battery envisaged by the Royal Commission. The French Lava with some 29 guns of various calibres and iron plate armour of 110mm. These floating defences were never developed by the British, although in some overseas stations floating batteries were deployed to supplement the land defences e.g. Bombay.
The recommended fortifications were primarily on the south coast:
Plymouth £3, 020,000
Medway £450,000
Portsmouth £2,800,000
Chatham £1,350,000
Pembroke £765,000
Woolwich £7050,000
Portland £630,000
Dover £335,000
Thames £180,000
Cork £120,000
As with any large government project, changes in priorities, funding issues and unforeseen problems led to many changes in the original recommendations of the Royal Commission. However, the bulk of the fortifications were built and many remained in military use for nearly a century.