Grain Tower Battery is a sea fort out in the confluence of the estuaries of the River Medway and the River Thames, almost out in open seas. It was built between 1848 and 1855, and stands around 500 meters from the eastern tip of the Isle of Grain on Grain Spit, a sandbank submerged at high tide. A causeway was built out from land all the way to the tower. This still remains but is covered in mud! The tower’s fabric was substantially altered during both world wars to accommodate new guns to defend Great Britain. The tower was decommissioned in 1956, after being mothballed in a “care and maintenance” phase for twelve years.

The Explore:

It has long been a goal for myself and a group of friends to camp out at Grain and in September 2021, that came to fruition. We all met up one weekend with our respective camping gear and drove to Grain. I didn’t have Wellington boots, so I used plastic bin bags over my shoes to protect my feet. It worked quite well all things considered. We made the 500 meter walk with only one casualty – my friend Robin went head over heels into the mud and got splattered! Apart from that, we were unscathed. We set up camp in a sheltered area and explored the building all throughout the night. Dinner was a nice barbecue of burgers and sausages and kebabs. All in all, it was rather fun! However, the others all got rather drunk, so they had hangovers the next morning. That bit was rather amusing. Enjoy the photos!

The Exterior:

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The Interior:

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The Fun Stuff:

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