Tilbury Fort

Tilbury Fort, in Essex, is situated on the north bank of the Thames, opposite Gravesend, and 22 miles E. of London. Originally erected in the time of Henry VIII. as a block-house, it was converted (1667) into a regular fortification after the bold expedition of De Ruyter into the Thames and Medway, and has been greatly strengthened since 1861. Here on 8th August 1588, more than a week after the dispersal of the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth reviewed her troops. The East and West India Dock Company constructed extensive docks at Tilbury in 1882-86 (see Vol. IV. p. 30).