The battery's arc of fire overlapped with Grain Tower just offshore and with Garrison Point Fort on the Isle of Sheppey across the other side of the Medway.

It was subsequently abandoned and was severely damaged by demolitions and the removal of its earthworks, leaving only the substantial remains of its concrete core standing today.

Both fortifications were built following the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom which was established by Lord Palmerston in 1859, in response to a perceived threat from France.

The battery originally took the form of a J-shaped earthwork in which a concrete core accommodated an unknown number of embrasures for the guns and a magazine under a rectangular mound at the rear, but underwent substantial changes following its construction.

Two 4.7-inch quick-firing guns were installed on the roof of the fort to counter smaller and faster adversaries such as torpedo boats and destroyers.

A new magazine was also built within the battery's core, with separate storage rooms for shells and cartridges, and a fire control position was added.