History of the Royal Military Canal

The canal was built in 1806 as an inland defence against Napoleon, who was amassing his Army of England at Boulogne, on the opposite side of the channel. The Government of the day, under Prime Minister William Pitt, was convinced that his landing would be on Romney Marsh - so built the canal to isolate it from the mainland.

The main section runs from Hythe in Kent to Iden Lock in East Sussex, where it joins the River Rother for the journey into Rye. West of Rye, the River Brede formed the defensive frontier as far as Winchelsea Hill, where the canal resumed its course to Cliff End.

The canal was entirely military in conception. Kinks were built in every 500 metres to allow for cannons to shoot down that particular stretch if the enemy should approach. At every bridge, 'Station Houses' were built as guard houses, with the added benefit of controlling the illegal smuggling that was rife on the Marsh at this time.

Of course, Napoleon never came - and the hastily-constructed canal became the greatest white elephant of its day. To try and salvage some use from the project, the Iden Lock-Hythe section was reinvented as a commercial navigation. Barge traffic was encouraged, and a passenger boat ran for a while. The Military Road, which ran alongside the northern bank of the canal, was opened as a toll road. (It can still be followed from Appledore to Iden Lock and Rye.)

By 1877, however, the canal was abandoned by the government and leased to the Lords of the Level of Romney Marsh. The National Trust became owners of one section, only for it to be requisitioned during the Second World War as, once again, a defensive frontier.

Today, the waterway is managed by the National Trust, the Environment Agency, and in Hythe, Shepway District Council. The Hythe section was awarded £2.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1990 towards repairs and improvements.