Henley Fort is a Victorian fort near

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, at the eastern end of the 'Hog's Back' ridge.

History

Henley Fort was built as a mobilisation centre during the 1880-90s as part of the London Defence Positions. Its purpose was to protect the capital from the French army. Initially, construction was rapid due to the invasion threat, but slowed as that threat passed. It is the most westerly fort of a 17-mile chain that would have formed a secondary line of defence between the South coast and London. It was never used as a fort in the conventional sense, having neither the men or the munitions to garrison it, and was instead used to train volunteers and as a monthly meeting place for the volunteers who manned it. Ammunition was also created on site, and the fort was constructed using chalk in order to prevent gunpowder from detonating in the event of the fort being bombed. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Henley Fort was used for defence purposes by the Home Guard. In the 1950s it was used as a camp for local schools. Each school could attend for two weeks each year for walks around Surrey.

Present

Today the fort is an

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

centre run by Surrey Outdoor Learning & Development, and as such hosts groups of all types wanting an outdoor learning experience.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Henley Fort: a London mobilisation centre
Buildings and structures in Guildford Forts in Surrey {{Surrey-struct-stub