Repair Work Starts to Save the Harwich Redoubt in Essex

The Redoubt at risk

The Grade II* listed Redoubt was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2020. It is suffering the effect of leaks and damage to the inner and outer moat walls. Internally, there is significant plant growth throughout.

Following specialist surveys and investigations, a scheme of repairs is now taking place to trial techniques for future restoration work.

Grant funding of more than £360,000 has been awarded (£246,538 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £119,212 from Historic England).

Get involved

The Harwich Society has a dedicated team of volunteers who have cared for and managed the Redoubt to a high standard for many years.

Their commitment has been central to protecting this extraordinary historic site, and the Harwich Society is now looking for more people to join them as part of this exciting new chapter.

As the repair project progresses, volunteers will have the opportunity to support a range of practical conservation, heritage and community activities, helping to safeguard the Redoubt while sharing its fascinating history with others.

The Harwich Society would like to hear from passionate local people who are interested in caring for this special landmark. Volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels are welcome. More information can be found on the Harwich Society website.

A programme of activities is also being planned to encourage more visitors to explore the story of the Redoubt, including volunteer-led tours and heritage craft skills sessions.

A highlight of the programme will be Fort Flicks, the Redoubt’s very first outdoor cinema event, hosted by The Harwich Society in collaboration with the Electric Palace Archive Project this September.

Further details about Fort Flicks and the wider programme will be released soon.

Coastal defence against Napoleonic invasion

The Harwich Redoubt was built from 1808 to 1810 as part of the Martello Tower chain of defences against a possible Napoleonic invasion, stretching from Aldeburgh to Seaford. Forty-three of the original 103 towers now survive: 26 on the south coast and 17 on the east coast. 

An imposing 180-foot diameter circular fort with 10 guns on the battlements, the Redoubt defended the trading and naval port of Harwich. Eighteen casements below would have housed 300 troops in siege conditions, with sufficient food and stores to withstand a lengthy siege. It was one of three key fortifications which housed a sizeable garrison to man the armaments – the others being at Dymchurch and Eastbourne – and is the most complete of the three 10-gun fortifications. 

The defensive strategy was never put to the test. After 1910, the Harwich Redoubt became barrack accommodation and from the 1920s the site was unused and falling into disrepair.

It was taken back into military use during the Second World War but was only employed for minor purposes. After the war, the structure was transferred to the Civil Defence, who built the present fixed bridge over the moat and used the fort for training exercises until their disbandment.

Saved from demolition by the local community

In the 1960s, the Redoubt was at risk of demolition but was saved by the local community, who formed the Harwich Society to protect the character of the town and its important historic buildings.

Tendring District Council took on ownership of the site, and, in 1970, a lease was granted to the Harwich Society. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with the help of an army of local volunteers, they repaired and restored the Redoubt. 

A popular visitor attraction, today the Redoubt is one of six Harwich heritage sites that the society maintain and operate, including the High Lighthouse, Low Lighthouse, Lifeboat Museum and Radar Tower.