Henry VIII's blockhouse

At Bawley Bay in Gravesend a lot of history comes together in one
place. This is one of 4 blockhouses built around 1539/40 by Henry VIII
to defend the Thames and London against Spanish warships. There also
guard the ferry crossing to Tilbury, still running today.

But Bawleys were salied to catch brown shrimps and we still see plenty
of them racing on the East Coast.

The blockhouse (with walls added in the late 17th century to make a
living space, and the now racing Bawleys remind me of how well our
ancestors repurposed things - makes our retail-space-into-schools
project even more interesting.