Toot Rock itself is an ancient outlier of the Pett ridge and has probably served a defensive function for centuries but those features most easily seen date from the Napoleonic War in the early 19th century and from the Second World War, when the rock was occupied by the military.

The westernmost stretch of the Royal Military Canal runs through the middle of the Trust land.

On and around Toot Rock there are gun emplacements, an observation post, a pill-box and the remains of trenches installed in 1941 when the threat of a German invasion was still feared.