The Royal Military Canal at Hythe

The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for 28 miles between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering Romney Marsh. Hythe (pronounced ) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way) on the south coast of Kent. ... , Folkestone (IPA: ) is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as The Garden Coast. Situated at the foot of the North Downs, the town has stunning views of the surrounding countryside as well as the coast of France. ... For other uses, see Hastings (disambiguation). ... The Romney Marsh is a sparsely-populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. ...

Construction

A section of a display panel showing a cross-section of the canal and its defences.

Construction was commenced at Seabrook, Kent, near Hythe in Kent on 30 October 1804. The canal was completed in April 1809 at a total cost of £234,000. It was constructed in two sections: the longest section starts at Hythe and ends at Iden Lock in East Sussex; the second, smaller section, runs from the foot of Winchelsea Hill to Cliff End. Both sections are linked by the Rivers Rother and River Brede. Gun positions along the canal were generally located every 500 yards. Any troops stationed or moving along the Military Road would have been protected by the earthen bank of the parapet, which was piled up during construction. Hythe (pronounced ) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way) on the south coast of Kent. ... For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Winchelsea is a small town in East Sussex, England, between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh. ... The River Rother (originally named Limen) is one of the longest rivers in Kent, England. ... The Brede is an English river in East Sussex. ...

History

A display panel showing the location of the canal.

The canal was built as a third line of defence against Napoleon, after the British Royal Navy patrolling the English Channel and the line of 74 Martello Towers built along the south coast. Romney Marsh was considered to be a likely point of invasion for Napoleon's Army, particularly during the period of the Third Coalition. However, the planned invasion by Napoleon never eventuated and the threat of a French invasion was greatly diminished following the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. The canal was still a long way from completion at this point and the cost of its construction was becoming politically difficult for the government. As a result, both the canal and the Military Road were opened for public use with tolls being charged. The tollgate for the canal and the road was located at Iden Lock. For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Martello towers are small defensive forts built by the British Empire at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. ... The Romney Marsh is a sparsely-populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. ... In the Napoleonic Wars, the Third Coalition against Napoléon emerged in 1805, and consisted of an alliance of the United Kingdom, Austria, Russia, Naples, and Sweden against France. ... Combatants United Kingdom First French Empire Kingdom of Spain Commanders Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson † Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve Strength 27 ships of the line and 6 others. ...

Despite the fact that the canal never saw military action, it was used to try and control smuggling from Romney Marsh. Guard houses were constructed at each bridge along its length. This met with limited success because of corrupt guards. Although a barge service was established from Hythe to Rye, the canal was abandoned in 1877 and leased to the Lords of the Level of Romney Marsh. 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

During the early stages of World War II, when a German invasion was looking likely, the canal was fortified with concrete pillboxes.^[1] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Detail from a pillbox embrasure. ... Precast pillbox embrasure with shutter. ...

The Canal today

A view over the canal near Rye.

The canal is now an important environmental site. The Environment Agency uses it to manage water levels on Romney Marsh and Walland Marsh. It is important for fish and other wildlife, including kingfishers, dragonflies and marsh frogs, and it passes through several Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There is now a public footpath for the entire length of the canal via Hythe, West Hythe, Bonnington, Bilsington, Ruckinge, Hamstreet, Warehorne, Kenardington, Appledore, Rye and Winchelsea. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (1536 × 1024 pixel, file size: 583 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photograph taken by Alex Wolfson, August 8 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (1536 × 1024 pixel, file size: 583 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photograph taken by Alex Wolfson, August 8 2005. ... Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, on the edge of the Romney Marsh. ... The Romney Marsh is a sparsely-populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. ... Binomial name Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Kingfisher or Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, is widely distributed in Europe, Africa, and Asia. ... This article is about the insect. ... Binomial name Pallas, 1771 The Marsh Frog (Rana ridibunda) is the largest frog native to Europe, and belongs to the family of true frogs. ... A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. ... Hythe (pronounced ) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way) on the south coast of Kent. ... , West Hythe is a village near Folkestone in Kent, England. ... Bonnington is a small village on the edge of the Romney Marsh in England. ... Bilsington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. ... The village of Ruckinge is located around seven miles southeast of Ashford on the B2067 Hamstreet to Hythe road. ... REDIRECT [[]] , Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in south-east England. ... Warehorne is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. ... Kenardington is a small village, and the centre of a civil parish of the same name, in the Ashford District of Kent, England. ... Appledore is a village in Kent, England, about 8 miles (13 kilometres) south of Ashford, Kent and on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh. ... Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, on the edge of the Romney Marsh. ... Winchelsea is a small town in East Sussex, England, between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh. ...

See also

• Canals of Great Britain
• History of the British canal system
• Fortifications of Great Britain

// See NO History of the British canal system for a more detailed history. ... The British canal system of water transport played a vital role in Britains Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of mass transit by road of raw materials and finished products...

References

Notes

1. ^ Foot (2006), p. 227–234.

General references

• Foot, William (2006). Beaches, fields, streets, and hills… : the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940. York: Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 1-902771-53-2. 

External links

• The Canal page at the Romney Marsh Countryside Project website
• The new Royal Military Canal website