aerial photograph of Cliffe Fort, Hoo Peninsula , Kent England UK Cliffe Fort is one of the Palmerston Forts built as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. The fort was constructed 1861-70 and served until 1927 at which point it was abandoned. During the Second World War it was rearmed and used as an anti-aircraft battery. After the war it was sold off into private ownership and has since been allowed to decay. Although the site is a Scheduled Monument it is considered at risk with Historic England stating its condition as "Very Bad".