Upnor Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Upnore

In the civil parish of Frindsbury Extra. In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Medway, 1974 county of Kent).

Artillery castle situated on the north western bank of the River Medway. The castle survives in the form of standing buildings and ruined structures and earthworks. It is constructed of ragstone faced with coursed ashlar blocks, along with some red brick. The castle was built in two main phases, initially between 1559 and 1567 to a design by Sir Richard Lee, in order to provide increased protection for Queen Elizabeth's warships, most of which were anchored when out of commission in the sheltered Medway estuary at the nearby, newly established dockyds at Chatham. The second phase of construction, dating to the years between 1599 and 1601, aimed mainly to improve the landward defences of the castle.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 172886)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ75857057

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 416743
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 77 SE 4 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/upnor/upnor.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/178/upnorcastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.225
    http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/content/247.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/upnor.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p80-1
    Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p14, 17, 31, 51, 65, 121
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p131
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p400, 403, 407, 410-1, 414, 478-82
    Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
    Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) 312
    Bennett, D., 1977, A handbook of Kent's defences from 1540 until 1945 p12
    Newman, John, 1976, The buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald (Harmondsworth) p590
    Braun, Hugh, 1936, The English castle (Batsford) p111
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p53-5 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/53/mode/1up
    Hasted, Edward, 1797 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol3 p525- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62878
• Journal Articles
  • Saunders, A.D., 1970, 'Walmer Castle; Deal Castle; St Augustine's abbey, the monastic buildings; Upnor Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol126 p276-8
    O'Neil, B.H.St.J., and Evans, S., 1952, 'Upnor Castle, Kent' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol65 p1-11
• Guidebooks
  • 2001, Upnor Castle Kent (London: English Heritage)
    Saunders, A.D., 1985, Upnor Castle, Kent (London: English Heritage)
    Saunders, A.D., 1967, Upnor Castle, Kent (HMSO)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent15]