Kent's lost forts and the history behind the former buildings | Updated: 10:31, 17 February 2021 Once at the forefront of Britain's defences, warding off everyone from the Romans to the Nazis many of Kent's fearsome forts now sit decaying, some swallowed by the land they once protected. Lynn Cox explores their hidden history from Henry VIII to nuclear threats... and even a fort which kept sinking. Fort Bridgewoods used to be situated in Maidstone Road, Rochester. Picture: victorianforts.co.uk Fort Bridgewoods, Rochester Built on land purchased by the War Office in about 1860 and forming part of a protective ring around the then Royal Dockyard at Chatham work on this Victorian fort in Maidstone Road began in 1879 but came to a stop five years later when the money dried up.