In 1643, the order was given to construct a vast wall around London. The city needed protection from the Royalist army of Charles I. The Civil War fortifications were the greatest work of London infrastructure of that century. Up to 20,000 volunteers spent two months heaping up earth and building forts. The resulting defences completely enclosed the city. Yet just a decade later, the various forts, ditches and banks had been erased and no physical evidence remains.
Lines of Communication
The construction began after Charles I had marched on London to fight the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Edgehill in 1642.
The line encircled the city with strong earthen ramparts extending some 11 miles, reinforced with twenty-three strong points that combined the ramparts with hornwork forts, regular and bastioned forts, star forts and batteries. Each fort was set at 2mile intervals in lines of sight from each other. It was considered to have been the largest fortification of its type in Europe.
The fortifications of forts, trenches and ramparts were known as the “Lines of Communication”.
The cost of the fortifications was put at £6,952 and 4 shillings, which was borne largely by the City of London, but also Southwark and Westminster. In addition, each of the Livery Companies – the tailors, watermen, potters, etc, would close down for a day at a time and all labour together to build the fortifications.
The defences were never put to the test in the Civil War as Parliament maintained control throughout and no Royalist force ever came within striking distance.
Following the surrender of King Charles I in May 1646, Parliament struggled to raise the funds to pay its own military force, the New Model Army. In the end, the army turned on its Parliamentary masters, and in July 1647 marched on London, arriving at Southwark, which swiftly surrendered and passed through the massive fortifications virtually unchallenged
South of the river – Lambeth’s Forts
If the forts were still standing today then The Vauxhall Fort (20) would be located in the area of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and Fort Royall (21) would be located next to the Imperial War Museum.
Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe, recorded the following in 1724 in his book A Tour Thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain.
The first thing we meet with considerable, is at the Spring Garden, just at the corner, where the road turns away to go from Vaux-Hall Turnpike, towards Newington, there are the remains of the old lines cast up at the time of the Rebellion, to fortify this side of the town; and at that Corner [ie Spring Garden] was a very large Bastion [Vauxhall fort], or rather a fort, and such indeed they call it; which commanded all the pass on that side and further on, where the openings near St George’s fields are, which they now call the Duckling-Pond, there was another.
Daniel Defoe, A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain, Published 1724 see Page 129
Vauxhall Fort (20)
At Vauxhall was a quadrant fort with 4 half bulwarks.
In the head of which town, westward, and close by the river, I visited the Nyne-Elmes Fort, composed of foure angles, five ports, and five demi-culverines, being slenderly pallosaded, and single ditched; for this fort and Tuttle Fort stand opposite to other, the river only dividing them.
Whence, following my circuiary progresse, I enhanced my desired view of Fauxhall Fort, which, indeed, is a delicate, large, and defensive work, being twice pallosaded, once ditched, and bearing the burthen of four- teen culverins
William Lithgow, survey of the defences of London for Parliament in 1643 “The present surveigh of London and England’s state”
It is difficult to locate precisely, but some of the fort may have extended onto Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, as drawings dating to 1859 show a substantial Scrub-covered mound at the location.
In John Aubrey’s Natural History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey, recorded “Without the New Spring Garden is the remainder of a kind of horn-work, belonging to the lines of communication made about 1643-4”
Fort Royall – St George’s Field (21)
The site of this fort can be located, as it is understood that the Dog and Duck inn was constructed in 1642 on the remaining earthworks of the former fort and position next to it. Evidence from old maps places the site of the pub in the area now occupied by the Tibetan Peace Garden.
It was undoubtedly a substantial structure, a fort with four half bulwarks, and armed with 24 cannon-royal.
