You asked about the name Kingston Fort/Redoubt ... it was originally called Kingston Redoubt after Kingston Buci, which is the ancient village directly opposite on the "mainland" and within whose parish most of the modern "Shoreham'" harbour is actually located (at least historically). The coast eastwards from Shoreham was not built-up until the late 19th century and so when the fort was constructed (mid 1850s) Shoreham and Kingston were still distinct communities being about 2 miles apart. Also remember that the harbour mouth (which is obviously where the fort was eventually situated for strategic reasons) was only finally stablised at its current position about a decade before the fort was built. During the 17th and 18th centuries the dangerously-shifting river mouth had sometimes been further east of Kingston,, while in medieval times the river had entered the sea almost directly opposite New Shoreham, which itself had been forced to relocate (due to silting-up of the port at around the time of the Conquest) from where Old Shoreham had originally been built at about a mile further inland. In the mid 19th century when the fort was constructed, other than the fort itself and an adjacent coastguard station, there were very few other buildings of any substance along the entire three-mile length of the shingle spit. Until the early 20th century the only road connection from the fort to Shoreham was a rough track across the unconsolidated single, which eventually connected to the main coast road about half a mile south-west of Shoreham and so ultimately entered the western end of the town having crossed the river and the wide tidal mudflats via the "Norfolk Bridge" (opened 1834); prior to that the only road was via the ancient toll bridge that crossed the River Adur at Old Shoreham, yet another mile or so upstream and further inland. Accordingly the most direct access to Shoreham/Kingston fort was by a row-boat ferry service across the river mouth direct from Kingston beach (embarking from about where the modern lifeboat station is located) and which incidentally in the 1880s and 90s was operated by my great-grandfather and his brother.. My parents' house was barely half a mile away from the 'Old Fort'. As a kid I well remember playing amongst those half-buried walls ... and then decades later quietly wandering aound the same walls, just for the occasional breath of fresh air when my parents inevitably got old, took ill, and eventually died. That's all and done with over a decade ago but nethertheless a big thankyou for bringing back to me some memories of Shoreham ... whether sad, joyful or just bitter-sweet. Thanks again.
And thanks for the very informative comment! I was aware of the relative newness of the Shoreham Beach residential area, and figured that Kingston was probably its own village way back when, but am glad to see someone confirming all that! That is a super connection with your great grandfather's ferry service!
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Thanks Mike!
You asked about the name Kingston Fort/Redoubt ... it was originally called Kingston Redoubt after Kingston Buci, which is the ancient village directly opposite on the "mainland" and within whose parish most of the modern "Shoreham'" harbour is actually located (at least historically). The coast eastwards from Shoreham was not built-up until the late 19th century and so when the fort was constructed (mid 1850s) Shoreham and Kingston were still distinct communities being about 2 miles apart. Also remember that the harbour mouth (which is obviously where the fort was eventually situated for strategic reasons) was only finally stablised at its current position about a decade before the fort was built. During the 17th and 18th centuries the dangerously-shifting river mouth had sometimes been further east of Kingston,, while in medieval times the river had entered the sea almost directly opposite New Shoreham, which itself had been forced to relocate (due to silting-up of the port at around the time of the Conquest) from where Old Shoreham had originally been built at about a mile further inland.
In the mid 19th century when the fort was constructed, other than the fort itself and an adjacent coastguard station, there were very few other buildings of any substance along the entire three-mile length of the shingle spit. Until the early 20th century the only road connection from the fort to Shoreham was a rough track across the unconsolidated single, which eventually connected to the main coast road about half a mile south-west of Shoreham and so ultimately entered the western end of the town having crossed the river and the wide tidal mudflats via the "Norfolk Bridge" (opened 1834); prior to that the only road was via the ancient toll bridge that crossed the River Adur at Old Shoreham, yet another mile or so upstream and further inland. Accordingly the most direct access to Shoreham/Kingston fort was by a row-boat ferry service across the river mouth direct from Kingston beach (embarking from about where the modern lifeboat station is located) and which incidentally in the 1880s and 90s was operated by my great-grandfather and his brother..
My parents' house was barely half a mile away from the 'Old Fort'. As a kid I well remember playing amongst those half-buried walls ... and then decades later quietly wandering aound the same walls, just for the occasional breath of fresh air when my parents inevitably got old, took ill, and eventually died. That's all and done with over a decade ago but nethertheless a big thankyou for bringing back to me some memories of Shoreham ... whether sad, joyful or just bitter-sweet. Thanks again.
And thanks for the very informative comment! I was aware of the relative newness of the Shoreham Beach residential area, and figured that Kingston was probably its own village way back when, but am glad to see someone confirming all that! That is a super connection with your great grandfather's ferry service!