Upnor Castle

Upnor Castle is a fort built in several phases, initially between 1559 and 1567 to designs by Sir Richard Lee. It was subsequently enlarged between 1599 and 1601, with designs attributed to Arthur Gregory and an Italian engineer known only as Baptist. In later centuries, the castle served as a magazine, an Ordnance Laboratory in 1827, and was part of the Naval Armament Supply Department in the late 19th century.

The castle is constructed of coursed ragstone, with some red brick patching and heightening. The main rectangular block and water bastion fronting the river reflect Sir Richard Lee's original design. The two riverside towers were substantially rebuilt, and a gatehouse, curtain wall, and moat were added between 1599 and 1601. Further alterations to the gatehouse and towers occurred later in the 17th century.

The gatehouse features coursed ragstone walls flanking the entrance, with cross-loops. A lintel bears the inscription 'W. Webster XXIII Regt, 1787 May'. The gatehouse projects from two wider, taller towers, all heightened in the 17th century, with double-splayed, segment-headed stone-dressed gun-ports. A wooden bell-cote tops the gatehouse, with a bell dated 1809. A recess immediately above the gate arch may have once held a coat of arms. The inner gateway has a round arch aligned with the inner tower walls, with 20th-century balustrades on two floors, following an 18th-century layout.

The curtain wall was rebuilt after 1625 and is constructed of coursed ragstone with a red brick parapet and wooden stakes projecting over the moat to the northwest and southwest.

The magazine block comprises a central main block with north and south towers connected by lower walls at the level of a band on the main block. A staked palisade projects eastward into the River Medway, creating a triangular area with an inner, gun-embrasured water bastion. The northeast and southeast towers are rectangular, with brick parapets and round stair-towers facing the Medway. Various irregular loops and wooden mullioned windows are present. The magazine block features a platband halfway up its height and a crenellated parapet. End projecting round towers and a central projecting octagonal stair tower are taller than the main block, which has recessed ends behind shallow splayed sides leading to the centre. Four oculi are set on the two upper floors, and two round-arched windows are on the stair tower, all added before 1698. There are also various other loops. Three round-arched doorways are at water bastion level, one leading to a wooden spiral stair, and two providing access to small side compartments underneath the magazine.

During the castle’s active use in the early 17th century, it was equipped with a demi-cannon, seven culverins, five demi-culverins, a minion, a falcon, a saker, and four fowlers, each with two chambers.

Upnor Castle is a scheduled Ancient Monument and is in the care of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission.