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Audio
tour: small charge
Disabled
access: grounds only
Access:
at Upnor on unclassified road off A228
Facilities:
toilets, parking
Upnor castle was originally built in 1559 as a gun fort on the orders
of Queen Elizabeth I to defend her warships at anchor in the reaches
of the Medway and Chatham Dockyard.
Completed
in 1568 and in 1585 included a chain to cross the Medway. However,
by 1669, the castle was to be employed for stores and magazine.
The castle saw action on at least two occasions.
In
1648, during the civil war, Kent Royalists captured the castle.
However, the squatters were soon ejected from the castle. The second
came during the Dutch War of 1665 - 1667.
On June 12th 1667, the Dutch fleet sailed up the Medway. Whilst
Upnor gallantly bombarded the Dutch, they managed to cross the chain
and attacked a number of war ships. Whilst some were burnt, the
Flagship Royal Charles was captured. Fortunately, the Dutch withdrew,
sparing the Dockyard.
 The
castle continued as a store, magazine and barracks until 1827, when
it was designated as an Ordinance Laboratory.
However,
towards the end of the 19th century, it was to return to stores
again. After the Second World War, the castle was to become a museum,
becoming a national monument in 1961.
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