Upnor
Encyclopedia
Lower Upnor and Upper Upnor are two small villages in Medway
, Kent
, England
. They are in the parish of Frindsbury Extra
on the western bank of the River Medway
. Today it is mainly residential and a centre for small craft moored in the river, but Upnor Castle
is a preserved monument, part of the river defences from the sixteenth century.
A skeleton of a Straight-tusked Elephant
was excavated in 1911, during the construction of Royal Engineer's Upnor Hard.
was also the name to the training ship moored parallel to the shore. The society had moored a training ship here for over 105 years. The first was the Chichester, but after than all the ships have been called Arethusa. The Last Arethusa was the Peking
, one of the R.F Laeisz's Flying P-Liner
4 masted barques built in 1911, and acquired after 1918 as war reparations. She was sold in 1975 to the South Street Seaport
Museum in New York.
In recent times extra housing has been built behind this street, exploiting the land exposed by quarrying the steep the hillside that leads to Hoo Common.
Lower Upnor is also the home of two Yacht / Sailing Clubs:- Medway Yacht Club (founded 1880) who purchased land in Lower Upnor in 1948, now comprising approximately 14 acres (56,656 m²). Upnor Sailing Club was formed in the last 1960's and they moved into their present Club House (formed from renovating three existing traditional riverfront cottages) is the 1980s.
The Royal School of Military Engineering
maintains an equipment storage and training facility in Lower Upnor, which supports the Riverine Operations section in Upper Upnor and the main school across the river in Brompton.
, including many houses which are finished in Kentish weatherboarding
; as well as some terraced streets formerly used by the MOD and also Castle Street. It is on Chatham Reach directly opposite St Mary's Creek.
The Royal Engineers
still have a presence in Upper Upnor, the Royal School of Military Engineering
Riverine Operations section maintains classrooms, workshops and a hard in Upnor for the training of Royal Engineers
Assault Boat Operators and Watermanship Safety Officers, who continue to operate craft on operations all over the world. The section operates Mk 1 and 3 Rigid Raider
, and Combat Support Boat
as well as teaching use of the Mk 6 Assault Boat
. The area is also used for other training purposes by the RSME including practice and test Bomb Disposal
tasks by the Defence EOD School, until its move to Bicester
.
Though Upnor Castle
only was effective for about 100 years (1559–1667), it was retained as a magazine and ammunition store until the end of the First World War.
The London Stones are in Lower Upnor on the shoreline. They mark the limit of the charter rights of London
fishermen. The older stone is dated 1204.
, chalk has been extracted, high quality moulding sand has been taken from a pit near the Church, and William Burgess Little built 25 five barges at his yard between 1843 and 1871. The first was the Sarah Little and the last called W.B.Little Finish. James Little built 3 barges here in 1891,1893 and 1895. A Potter's Kiln can be seen on an 1830 watercolour by Susan Twopeny, now in Rochester Guildhall Museum.
in 1884 and was reabsorbed in 1955. The parish church of St Philip and St James (1884)was designed by Ewan Christian RIBA (1814–1895). It is virtually unaltered.
to Upnor 1872-3. It was abandoned before 1881, and a gauge line was built in 1885 or by the 8th(Railway) Company R.E. in 1898 One branch went to Lower Upnor, and the other to the camp by Tower Hill. This line was used to supply armaments from Chattenden
, the Lodge Hill Ammunition Depot and the standard gauge at Sharnal Street, to the Warships and the Upnor Magazine. The service closed on 19 May 1961.
In 1965-1967, the Royal Engineers
converted the route from Lower Upnor to Chattenden into a road including building a new bridge over Four Elms Hill (the main road through Chattenden village). With great originality they named it Upchat Road.
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They are in the parish of Frindsbury Extra
Frindsbury Extra
Frindsbury Extra is a civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, England. It is conjoined to Strood to the south west, is bounded by Cliffe and Cliffe Woods to the north, Hoo to the east, and the River Medway to the south....
on the western bank of the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
. Today it is mainly residential and a centre for small craft moored in the river, but Upnor Castle
Upnor Castle
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Kent, England. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham dockyards....
is a preserved monument, part of the river defences from the sixteenth century.
Origins
Upnor meant "at the bank" being "æt þæm ōre" in Old English and "atten ore" in Middle English and "atte Nore" in 1292. However then the meaning changed to "Upon the bank" Middle English "uppan ore" and by 1374 it was "Upnore".A skeleton of a Straight-tusked Elephant
Straight-tusked Elephant
The Straight-tusked Elephant is an extinct species of elephant closely related to the living Asian Elephant. It inhabited Europe during the Middle and Late Pleistocene . Some experts regard the smaller Asian species E...
was excavated in 1911, during the construction of Royal Engineer's Upnor Hard.
Lower Upnor
Lower Upnor faces Upnor Reach. It was a single row of housing separated from the river by the roadway, and the hard. It here that one finds the Arethusa training centre run by the Shaftesbury Homes. In living memory the ArethusaArethusa
- Mythology :* Arethusa , a nereid nymph who became a fountain* See Hesperides for Arethusa, a hesperid nymph- Places :* Arethusa , an ancient city in Mygdonia of ancient Macedonia* Arethusa , a titular see of Syria near Apameia...
was also the name to the training ship moored parallel to the shore. The society had moored a training ship here for over 105 years. The first was the Chichester, but after than all the ships have been called Arethusa. The Last Arethusa was the Peking
Peking (ship)
The Peking is a steel-hulled four-masted barque — the sister ship to the Passat. A so-called Flying P-Liner of the German company F...
, one of the R.F Laeisz's Flying P-Liner
Flying P-Liner
The Flying P-Liners were the sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz of Hamburg.The company was founded in 1824 by Ferdinand Laeisz as a hat manufacturing company. He was quite successful and distributed his hats even in South America...
4 masted barques built in 1911, and acquired after 1918 as war reparations. She was sold in 1975 to the South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...
Museum in New York.
In recent times extra housing has been built behind this street, exploiting the land exposed by quarrying the steep the hillside that leads to Hoo Common.
Lower Upnor is also the home of two Yacht / Sailing Clubs:- Medway Yacht Club (founded 1880) who purchased land in Lower Upnor in 1948, now comprising approximately 14 acres (56,656 m²). Upnor Sailing Club was formed in the last 1960's and they moved into their present Club House (formed from renovating three existing traditional riverfront cottages) is the 1980s.
The Royal School of Military Engineering
Royal School of Military Engineering
The Royal School of Military Engineering is the main training establishment for the British Army's Royal Engineers. After they have successfully completed their Phase 1 - Basic Soldier Training, members of the Corps of Royal Engineers attend 3 RSME, at Minley for Phase 2a - Combat Engineering...
maintains an equipment storage and training facility in Lower Upnor, which supports the Riverine Operations section in Upper Upnor and the main school across the river in Brompton.
Upper Upnor
Upper Upnor comprises a village street leading to Upnor CastleUpnor Castle
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Kent, England. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham dockyards....
, including many houses which are finished in Kentish weatherboarding
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
; as well as some terraced streets formerly used by the MOD and also Castle Street. It is on Chatham Reach directly opposite St Mary's Creek.
The Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
still have a presence in Upper Upnor, the Royal School of Military Engineering
Royal School of Military Engineering
The Royal School of Military Engineering is the main training establishment for the British Army's Royal Engineers. After they have successfully completed their Phase 1 - Basic Soldier Training, members of the Corps of Royal Engineers attend 3 RSME, at Minley for Phase 2a - Combat Engineering...
Riverine Operations section maintains classrooms, workshops and a hard in Upnor for the training of Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
Assault Boat Operators and Watermanship Safety Officers, who continue to operate craft on operations all over the world. The section operates Mk 1 and 3 Rigid Raider
Rigid Raider
The Rigid Raider is a series of fast patrol/assault boat made by RTK Marine, a subsidiary of Halmatic . They are in service with many armed forces, including the Royal Marines, the SBS and Royal Engineers...
, and Combat Support Boat
Combat Support Boat
The Combat Support Boat is a boat in use with the British Army. It is a powerful, versatile craft whose major role is to support both bridging and amphibious operations. Powered by Water jet propulsion it has a high thrust at shallow draught. It is also be used as a general-purpose working boat and...
as well as teaching use of the Mk 6 Assault Boat
Mk 6 Assault Boat
The Mk 6 Assault Boat is a boat used by the Royal Engineers of the British Army. It is usually paddled for a silent or night-time approach, but can be fitted with an outboard motor...
. The area is also used for other training purposes by the RSME including practice and test Bomb Disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
tasks by the Defence EOD School, until its move to Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
.
Though Upnor Castle
Upnor Castle
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Kent, England. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham dockyards....
only was effective for about 100 years (1559–1667), it was retained as a magazine and ammunition store until the end of the First World War.
London Stones
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
fishermen. The older stone is dated 1204.
Industry
Like other parts of FrindsburyFrindsbury
Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the City of Rochester. Frindsbury refers to both a parish and a manor....
, chalk has been extracted, high quality moulding sand has been taken from a pit near the Church, and William Burgess Little built 25 five barges at his yard between 1843 and 1871. The first was the Sarah Little and the last called W.B.Little Finish. James Little built 3 barges here in 1891,1893 and 1895. A Potter's Kiln can be seen on an 1830 watercolour by Susan Twopeny, now in Rochester Guildhall Museum.
The Church
The ecclesiastical parish of Upnor split from FrindsburyFrindsbury
Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the City of Rochester. Frindsbury refers to both a parish and a manor....
in 1884 and was reabsorbed in 1955. The parish church of St Philip and St James (1884)was designed by Ewan Christian RIBA (1814–1895). It is virtually unaltered.
The Military Railway
The army used this area to train a railway engineering force. They built a standard gauge railway from ChattendenChattenden
Chattenden is a small village in Hoo Parish, in Medway in Kent, UK. It lies to the north of the A228 and the village of Wainscott, at the top of Four Elms Hill.Chattenden means 'Forest Settlement' from the elements ceto and ham dun...
to Upnor 1872-3. It was abandoned before 1881, and a gauge line was built in 1885 or by the 8th(Railway) Company R.E. in 1898 One branch went to Lower Upnor, and the other to the camp by Tower Hill. This line was used to supply armaments from Chattenden
Chattenden
Chattenden is a small village in Hoo Parish, in Medway in Kent, UK. It lies to the north of the A228 and the village of Wainscott, at the top of Four Elms Hill.Chattenden means 'Forest Settlement' from the elements ceto and ham dun...
, the Lodge Hill Ammunition Depot and the standard gauge at Sharnal Street, to the Warships and the Upnor Magazine. The service closed on 19 May 1961.
In 1965-1967, the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
converted the route from Lower Upnor to Chattenden into a road including building a new bridge over Four Elms Hill (the main road through Chattenden village). With great originality they named it Upchat Road.