2012

TR1634 : The Royal Military Canal, Hythe - view westwards

taken 12 years ago, near to Hythe, Kent, England

The Royal Military Canal, Hythe - view westwards
The Royal Military Canal, Hythe - view westwards
Hythe makes the most of its water feature, the Royal Military Canal. Little boats such as the ones seen here can be hired to paddle up and down the canal, or if you are not feeling energetic enough to propel yourself there are also motor launches taking visitors on trips. See the shared description below:
The Royal Military Canal

The Royal Military Canal was constructed between 1804 and 1809 as a defensive structure to help protect southern England from invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. Martello Towers were created for the same purpose at the same time, as the threat from Napoleon was considered very real and worth the vast expenditure that was required for these various defences - £234,310 for the R M Canal alone for example, equivalent to many millions today.
The canal runs for approximately 28 miles along the border of the Romney Marsh, with all but 5½ miles of this having to be dug. Its most easterly point is at Seabrook in Kent where construction commenced on 30th October 1804. It was only supposed to take just over a year - and although the first section to the River Rother was open by 1806 it was not finally fully opened until April 1809 - by which time the threat from Napoleon had gone away and the State was left with a costly "White Elephant", but one which with time has become a much loved feature of this part of England.
For much more detail on all aspects of the RMC, visit its own website LinkExternal link

Royal Military Canal

The Royal Military Canal stretches for 28 miles hugging the old cliff line that borders the Romney Marsh from Hythe in the north east to Cliff End in the south west. It 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. The Royal Military Canal was constructed in two sections. The longest section starts at Hythe in Kent 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 Brede.

See LinkExternal link and LinkExternal link for more details


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: City, Town centre Canals Canal: Royal Military Place: Hythe
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Royal Military Canal [78] · Royal Military Canal in Hythe [53] · View down Hythe [29] · Boats for Hire [8] ·
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TR1634, 540 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Tuesday, 7 August, 2012   (more nearby)
Submitted
Thursday, 23 August, 2012
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TR 1617 3460 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:4.2003N 1:5.0501E
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TR 1624 3461
View Direction
WEST (about 270 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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