Fort Nelson, Hampshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Nelson, Hampshire |
|
|---|---|
A 64-pounder cannon, part of Fort Nelson's original weapons.
|
|
| Type | Palmerston fort |
| Location | Boarhunt |
| OS grid reference | SU 60696 07203 |
| Area | Hampshire |
| Built | 1860–1867 |
| Owner | Hampshire County Council |
|
Listed Building – Grade I
|
|
| Official name: Fort Nelson, Boarhunt | |
| Designated | 22 Dec 1971 |
| Reference no. | 1350616 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Fort Nelson is a large, historic fort in Hampshire, England. It's located in the village of Boarhunt. This fort is one of five strong forts built on top of Portsdown Hill in the 1860s. They were built to protect the important naval base of Portsmouth.
Today, Fort Nelson is part of the Royal Armouries. It holds a huge collection of old cannons and other artillery. It's also a special historic building, known as a Grade I Listed Building.
Contents
What is Fort Nelson Like?
Fort Nelson is a classic example of a "Polygonal" or "Palmerston Fort". It has six sides and a very deep ditch around it. This ditch was protected by three special bunkers called caponiers.
Inside the Fort's Walls
Above each caponier, there was a strong place for large 13-inch mortars. These were big guns that fired shells high into the air. To get into the fort, soldiers used two special rolling bridges.
The fort also had a building for 172 officers and soldiers. This building was protected by a V-shaped wall. There was a large open area called a parade ground. Underneath this ground, 40 feet down, were the magazines. These were safe places to store gunpowder and ammunition.
Guns and Defenses
On the fort's walls, there were open spots for big cannons. These included 64-pounder guns and howitzers. There were also three special covered gun positions, called casemates. These held 7-inch rifled guns.
Right next to Fort Nelson is the Nelson Monument. This monument is what gave the fort its name.
Why Was Fort Nelson Built?
Fort Nelson is one of the "Portsdown Forts". These forts were built because of a special report in 1859. Lord Palmerston ordered them to be built. The main reason was to stop a possible land attack by the French on the Portsmouth dockyard. The dockyard was only about 8 kilometers away.
A Line of Forts
Older defenses near Portsmouth were not strong enough. So, a line of six forts was built along 10 kilometers of the ridge. From west to east, these forts were Fareham, Wallington, Nelson, Southwick, Widley, and Purbrook. Two smaller forts, Crookhorn Redoubt and Farlington Redoubt, finished the line to the east.
About 200 volunteer soldiers and regular army officers would have defended Fort Nelson during wartime. Building the fort took a long time. Fort Nelson was not fully armed with all its guns until the 1890s. The fort's guns were removed in 1907. After that, it was used for housing soldiers. In 1938, it became a storage place for anti-aircraft ammunition. Ten large magazines were built on the parade ground for this purpose. Fort Nelson was finally left empty in the 1950s.
Fort Nelson Today: The Royal Armouries
After many years of being empty and damaged, Fort Nelson was sold in 1979. Hampshire County Council bought it for £50,000. The Council, with help from volunteers, spent £3–4 million to fix it up.
A Museum of Artillery
Fort Nelson opened to the public in 1994. In 1995, it became part of the Royal Armouries. It now holds their amazing collection of artillery, which includes:
- The 'Boxted Bombard': An English cannon from around 1450. It was strong enough to fire a 60 kg stone ball.
- The 'Dardanelles Gun': An Ottoman (Turkish) bronze cannon from 1464. This huge gun could fire stone balls 63 cm wide!
- French field guns captured at the famous Battle of Waterloo.
- Fortress guns from India and China.
- Parts of the famous 'Project Babylon' supergun from Iraq.
- One of only two giant Mallet's Mortars ever made.
- Several 32-pounder cannons.
Visiting Fort Nelson
The fort covers about 19 acres (77,000 square meters). It is open all year round. Usually, there is no charge to enter, except for some special events.
You can see live firing demonstrations every day. Guides in costumes and video presentations help you learn about the fort. Visitors can also explore the tunnels that run under the fort. These tunnels connect the magazines to the gun positions. There are displays showing what life was like for the soldiers who defended the fort. From the fort, you can see great views of Portsmouth, the Solent, Hayling Island, Gosport, and even the Isle of Wight in the distance.
