The Maunsell Sea Forts were built in 1942 at Northfleet, off the East Kent coast. They were created as anti-aircraft and observation platforms to disrupt  the German Luftwaffe on bombing runs to London.

The design and manufacture of these platforms was also the early forerunner for the oil platforms of today.

They were de-commissioned in the 1950’s and have stood derelict and disused since then acting as a reminder of the past conflict.

I was able to visit the Sea Forts with the help of Project Redsand which has been established to secure the future of the Forts and are working towards the listing of the Redsand Towers as a National Monument and Heritage site.

In Late 2012 I visited the site by fishing boat and boarded the Fort/s. It was the inaccessibility of the location that intrigued me and that not many people are able to see them and especially board them. I was fascinated and inspired by these futuristic and brutal looking structures that for me epitomized a beauty of form and function. I managed to do a series of quick pencil studies and record video and sound from the top of one of the platforms. This was then used this reference to create a series of prints taking inspiration from the seaforts aiming to create a Visual historical document.