A video on the combustion of double-base propellant produced by the Explosive Research and Development Establishment (ERDE). Audio Transcript A possible correlation between burning rates and the appearance of the burning surface in a number of platinized propellants. Each propellant…
Currently there are planning applications supporting the development. These can be seen on the Sevenoaks Council website. Hybrid application comprising, in outline: development of business space (use classes B1a/b/c) of up to 27,659 sq m GEA; works within the X…
A consultation document has been published by JPT architects regarding the development of the Fort Halstead site. This can be viewed below, or by visiting the JPT website. The PDF is graphic intensive, and at around 9 Mb may be…
This 17:40 minute long film from the Fort Halstead archive dates from 1961 and was filmed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment in association with the Ministry of Aviation Cine Film Service. It has recently been digitised by the…
Unlike many of the buildings around Fort Halstead, this structure was not built for any unique testing or evaluation purpose, but for the protection of the site. Constructed in the early years of the Second World War, this firewatchers post…
With a large number of plans and documents available in the archive, it’s possible to piece together the use of the site throughout the decades. Combining a site plan from 1986 and a building schedule from 1975, it’s possible to…
Located outside the wire on Crow Drive, building N17 was constructed as an optical test range. The building was erected by the Ministry of Supply (MoS) for High Explosive Research (HER) who were engaged in Operation Hurricane to test high…
A curious Saturday evening online search revealed a postcard for sale. Neither the subject or the recipient were or particular interest, but the address from which the postcard was sent piqued my interest: Dear EJH, Having a fine time.Fun day…
Neill Griffiths O.B.E.
In browsing the National Archives, I came across an interesting reference to a work request concerning Fort Halstead. A request in May 1945 for six small building schemes had been submitted for the expansion and development of the site at…
Constructed as part of the London Defence Scheme, the fort at Knockholt (also known as the Polhill Fort and latterly Fort Halstead) was part of an extensive earthwork defensive system constructed on the North Downs. There were a total of…
Welcome to The Bugle, the new journal of the Fort Halstead Heritage Centre. It is intended to promote historical activities at The Fort and in particular, interesting artefacts in the Collection.
In 1989 a report was published aimed at “drawing together at the current time, information regarding the physical plan, form and history of the ancient monument known as Fort Halstead.” These rare images detail some of the historical features still…
“In this building a group of scientists & engineers led by the then Dr WG PENNEY worked on United Kingdom atomic warheads during the period 1946 to 1952. This plaque was unveiled on 6 APRIL 2982 by LORD PENNEY OM.…
This history forms part of a larger RARDE history written by the late Peter Baigent around 1991. Peter had a long and distinguished career in weapons design at Fort Halstead. We are very grateful to his family for giving permission…
This history was written by the late Peter Baigent around 1991. Peter had a long and distinguished career in weapons design at Fort Halstead. We are very grateful to his family for giving permission to publish Peter’s research. INTRODUCTION The…
Military boundary stones, not to be confused with Ordnance Survey datum points, are somewhat of an enigma. Historically they delineate boundaries of military sites, however their use is not consistent – some sites have them, others do not, and as…