Tilbury Fort sits on the south bank of the Thames directly opposite Grays, accessible by the Gravesend-Tilbury ferry from the Gravesend side or by road from the A1089 on the Essex bank. It is the best-preserved example of artillery fort architecture in England, built in its current form under King Charles II in the 1670s to defend the Thames approach to London. English Heritage manages the site and it is open to visitors most of the year.
The fort is a textbook example of geometric defensive design — a star-shaped circuit of bastions surrounded by a water-filled moat, with a double moat on the landward side. The interior contains a powder magazine, a guardhouse, and various ancillary buildings, some of which house exhibitions on the fort's history from the Tudor period through the Second World War.
From Grays, the easiest crossing to Tilbury is via the ferry from Gravesend, a short drive or train ride away. There is no regular foot passenger ferry directly from Grays Beach.