Behind the large entrance door to this derelict
military fort on the South Coast Of England
is a forgotten ruin of a structure that once
protected the country from incoming attacks
in the wars.
Today, little is left but the history and
effectiveness of the site is the reason we
decided to visit on a recent trip.
Plus, the fort is next to the sea so it gives
some great panoramic views, which is an extra
bonus...
On a windy but sunny morning, we were walking
up the grand entrance which has been sealed
tight since 1995.
However the property wasn’t used as a defensive
structure since 1956, when coastal defence
was abolished.
Once we made it to the top of the fort, we
were surprised at how big it actually was.
We came down some stairs to analyse the structure
from ground level.
Although nowadays, the grade 2 listed building
is partly supported by scaffolding to prevent
it from crashing down, the size and architecture
of the facility is still very impressive.
The most recent use it had was as a plumbers
workshop until 1995 which was held in this
2 storey building opposing the curve of the
fort.
However it appears that someone is living
in this specific building now.
Some items led us to believe that, and another
explorer ventured inside to find a mattress
and what looks like a living space.
It didn’t bother us that we weren’t going
inside as that building is incredibly stripped
with nothing of interest to see.
The ivy growing on other parts of the fort
on the other hand was very interesting to
look at, obviously progressing through the
long years the structure has endured abandoned.
The fort’s construction finished in 1871,
with a total of £58,766.
It’s purpose was to fire onto the three
bays surrounding it, one of which led to Portsmouth
harbour.
It could hold twenty two guns in casemates
which are the arched spaces you see on the
curve of the facility, with 5 more heavier
pieces of artillery on the roof.
We could make our way up to the back of the
casemates to have a closer look at the brickwork
involved in the building.
The mossy decay on the bricks didn’t take
away from the fact that these spaces are where
twenty two guns would go.
You can see from the tracks on the floor.
There would also be bunk beds and living spaces
for the workers on the site, which would obviously
be live 24/7, alert for enemy attackers.
It must have taken a long time to design the
arch ceilings in the casemate rooms, probably
done because the building is built into a
hill, for camouflage from an outside perspective.
Before WW1, the fort’s walls were strengthened
with substantial amounts of earth, which is
why it seems invisible if you looked at it
from the ocean.
Since disuse, plans have come into play for
it to become a car park for beach-goers, ever
more likely since arsonists have targeted
the historic building with fires breaking
out.
A curved underground passage and many rooms
lies beneath the fort, which would have been
used for storage of ammunition, crammed into
these large spaces.
When it was ready to be used, it would be
sent straight up to the guns via an ammunition
lift which was still here, and one of the
only remnants we found on the exploration.
The old signs from the war period was a nice
find as well, indicating to us what stuff
was.
From here, we headed all the way up to the
roof where, although windy, we could take
in some impressive views of the surrounding
sea and towns.
We could also see the circular positions for
the 5 heavy guns, some were dangerous to walk
on as the metal rusted away.
Sadly, there were no guns to see themselves,
but it was crazy to think that this is one
of ways England protected itself during the
wars, and how little it has been reduced to
now.
There are plans for the fort to become an
upmarket housing complex, but as of now, no
serious work has taken place.
We hope you enjoyed taking a quick look at
such a historic structure.
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