Royal Military Canal
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The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for 28 miles between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering Romney Marsh.
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[edit] Construction
Construction was commenced at Seabrook, near Hythe in Kent on 30 October 1804. The canal was completed in April 1809 at a total cost of £234,000. It was constructed in two sections: the longest section starts at Hythe and ends at Iden Lock in East Sussex; the second, smaller section, runs from the foot of Winchelsea Hill to Cliff End. Both sections are linked by the Rivers Rother and River Brede. Gun positions along the canal were generally located every 500 yards. Any troops stationed or moving along the Military Road would have been protected by the earthen bank of the parapet, which was piled up during construction.
[edit] History
The canal was built as a third line of defence against Napoleon, after the British Royal Navy patrolling the English Channel and the line of 74 Martello Towers built along the south coast. Romney Marsh was considered to be a likely point of invasion for Napoleon's Army, particularly during the period of the Third Coalition. However, the planned invasion by Napoleon never eventuated and the threat of a French invasion was greatly diminished following the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. The canal was still a long way from completion at this point and the cost of its construction was becoming politically difficult for the government. As a result, both the canal and the Military Road were opened for public use with tolls being charged. The tollgate for the canal and the road was located at Iden Lock.
Despite the fact that the canal never saw military action, it was used to try and control smuggling from Romney Marsh. Guard houses were constructed at each bridge along its length. This met with limited success because of corrupt guards. Although a barge service was established from Hythe to Rye, the canal was abandoned in 1877 and leased to the Lords of the Level of Romney Marsh. During the early stages of World War II, when a German invasion was looking likely, the canal was fortified with concrete pill-boxes.
[edit] The Canal today
The canal is now an important environmental site. The Environment Agency uses it to manage water levels on Romney Marsh and Walland Marsh. It is important for fish and other wildlife, including kingfishers, dragonflies and marsh frogs, and it passes through several Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There is now a public footpath for the entire length of the canal via Hythe, West Hythe, Bonnington, Bilsington, Ruckinge, Hamstreet, Warehorne, Kenardington, Appledore, Rye and Winchelsea.
