Artillery gun on displayon parade ground. Tilbury Fort. UK. 2nd world war artillery gun on display at Tilbury Fort in the UK. Tilbury Fort on the Thames estuary has protected London seaward approach from the 16th century through to the Second World War.nHenry VIII built the first fort here, and Queen Elizabeth I famously rallied her army nearby to face the threat of the Armada. The present fort is much the best example of its type in England, with its circuit of moats and huge parade ground.