Upnor Castle, Kent

24th June 2015


 1559 - built to protect Queen Elizabeth I's war ships which would be anchored in the river Medway
1642 - Civil War - castle was a prison for Royalists
1653 - fire at the castle resulted in the gatehouse being rebuilt
1827 - castle no longer used as a magazine but instead as an explosives laboratory
1856 - new shell store and magazine installed following the Crimean war
1891 - war office to the Admiralty as well as testing place for firearms and explosives
1941 - castle damaged by a bomb which fell on Upnor house
1945 - castle became a museum 

The castle today consists of a gatehouse (1599-1601), courtyard. If you go through the Sally port on the left this leads you to the North Tower. After this enter the main building, built between 1559 and 1567, which leads out onto the Water bastion for a view across the river. End your tour in the South Tower.

The castle was very different to what we were expecting and it didn't feel, to us, like a castle – perhaps because of it being used as a garrison/barracks for a long time and then has been left a bit too derelict in places. The castle layout was unusual and you approach the castle from the side due to the river directly in front of the castle. We would still say it’s worth a see but perhaps combine it with nearby Rochester castle.

 Owned by English Heritage, managed by Medway Council
The village prohibits cars so we parked at the side of the road – but parking is limited
Shop
Guidebook, audio tours = £1
No dogs are allowed. 

N & K 

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