Description
Naval base and royal dockyard located on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, at the confluence of the Thames and Medway rivers, with strategic importance for the defense of London and access to the North Sea.
Year of Foundation or Oldest Source
Fortified in the 17th century (during the Anglo-Dutch Wars). The modern naval dockyard was mainly developed in the early 19th century (from 1815).
Country (State or Region)
United Kingdom (England)
Location
Sheerness, Ilha de Sheppey, Kent, England.
Structuring
Naval dockyard complex with docks, basins, workshops, and extensive fortifications (defense lines) built to protect the entrance of the Medway and Thames rivers.
Notes
Highly strategic location controlling access to London and the Chatham dockyards. It was attacked by the Dutch in 1667 (Raid on the Medway). The 19th-century dockyard was a major feat of engineering, built on marshy ground.
Sources
MARNOT, Bruno. Ports as Tools of European Expansion. Encyclopédie d'histoire numérique de l'Europe [online], 2020.
