On offer: an original (i.e. not a later reproduction) antique print "Tilbury Fort.", Essex
DATE PRINTED: 1808, dated on the print.
SIZE: The printed area including titles is approximately 17 x 11 cm (6.75 x 4.25 inches) plus margins (small).
ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Drawn by Edward Gyfford (1772-1834) and engraved by Samuel Sparrow.
PROVENANCE: Published in "London; being an accurate history and description of the British metropolis and its neighbourhood, to thirty miles extent, from an actual perambulation. By David Hughson, LL.D. ... London: printed by W. Stratford, for J. Stratford; and sold by all other booksellers, 1805--10. Hughson is the pseudonym for David Pugh. His 'Description of London' was published over a period of 5 years in 149 Numbers of about 24 pages each, making 6 volumes.
TYPE: Antique copper plate engraving printed on paper.
VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is blank.
CONDITION: Good, suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Virtually all antiquarian maps and prints are subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not significant unless otherwise stated. I offer a no questions asked return policy.
AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic antique print, published at the date stated above. I do not offer reproductions. It is not a modern copy. The term 'original' when applied to a print means that it was printed at the first or original date of publication; it does not imply that the item is unique.
RETURNS POLICY: I offer a no questions returns policy. All I ask is that you pay return shipping and mail back to me in original condition.
POSTAGE / SHIPPING COSTS: I only charge postage for the first print ordered. There is no additional postage charge if you order more than one print.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Tilbury Fort, also known historically as the Thermitage Bulwark and the West Tilbury Blockhouse, is an artillery fort on the north bank of the River Thames in England. The earliest version of the fort, comprising a small blockhouse with artillery covering the river, was constructed by King Henry VIII to protect London against attack from France as part of his Device programme. It was reinforced during the 1588 Spanish Armada invasion scare, after which it was reinforced with earthwork bastion, and Parliamentary forces used it to help secure the capital during the English Civil War of the 1640s. Following naval raids during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the fort was enlarged by Sir Bernard de Gomme from 1670 onwards to form a star-shaped defensive work, with angular bastions, water-filled moats and two lines of guns facing onto the river. In addition to protecting the Thames, in the 18th century Tilbury also began to be used a transit depot and for storing gunpowder. It continued to be essential for the defence of the capital and a new artillery battery was added in the south-east corner during the Napoleonic Wars. The fort became increasingly less significant as a defensive structure, however, as military technology developed in the 19th century. It was redeveloped to hold heavy artillery after 1868, providing a second line of defence along the river, but further changes in technology meant that it had become obsolete by the end of the century. Instead Tilbury became a strategic depot, forming a logistical hub for storing and moving troops and materiel throughout the First World War. The fort had only a limited role in the Second World War and was demobilised in 1950. Tilbury Fort is now operated by the charity English Heritage Trust as a tourist attraction
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