Fort Paull facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Paull |
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| Paull Cliff Battery Point Cliff Battery |
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Aerial view
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 Fort Paull
Location within the East Riding
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| Coordinates | 53°42′48″N 0°13′46″W / 53.713360°N 0.229450°W |
| Type | Napoleonic War |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1861–1864 |
| In use | 1864–1960 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Fort Paull, Museum, Armouries and Visitors Centre |
Fort Paull was a special place with big guns, called a gun battery. It was located on the north side of the Humber River. This spot was near the village of Paull, not far from the city of Hull in northern England.
History of Fort Paull
People have built forts or gun positions at Paull for a very long time. Kings like Henry VIII and Charles I used them. These forts were important during the English Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars.
The very first fort on this site was started in 1542. It was designed to hold 12 cannons. The fort you see today was built between 1861 and 1864. It has a unique five-sided shape. This fort was part of a bigger plan to build many forts across Britain. These were known as the Palmerston Forts, built to protect the country.
Fort Paull's Guns and Weapons
The first guns at Fort Paull were nineteen large 64-pounder cannons. These were hidden or removed in 1894. New concrete spots were then built for more modern guns. These included three 6-inch guns and two 4.7-inch quick-firing guns.
In 1886, a special station was added to control underwater mines. Searchlights were also put in place by 1907. After 1902, the three 6-inch gun positions were updated. They received newer types of guns that could turn easily.
At the start of the First World War, Fort Paull was considered too close to Hull. Because of this, its guns were removed. New forts were built further away at Sunk Island and Stallingborough. Between the two World Wars, the fort was used as a training base.
During the Second World War, Fort Paull became a magazine. This meant it stored ammunition for ships traveling in convoys to Russia. A special station was also added to protect ships from magnetic mines.
Fort Paull Today
In 1960, the Ministry of Defence stopped using Fort Paull, and it closed down. A few years later, in 1964, a group of volunteers called the Friends of Fort Paull took over. They worked hard to restore the fort and turn it into a heritage museum.
Fort Paull finally opened to visitors in 2000. The museum had wax figures showing people important to the fort's history. It also displayed many different types of cannons and armored vehicles. Sometimes, the fort even hosted military re-enactment events.
Fort Paull was also home to the very last complete Blackburn Beverley aircraft. This was a huge transport plane.
In January 2020, it was announced that Fort Paull would not open for visitors that year. The museum's items were sold at an auction on September 19, 2020. The auction raised a lot of money, and the Blackburn Beverley aircraft sold for £21,000.
Gallery
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The last Blackburn Beverley
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3.7 inch anti-aircraft gun
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Entrance to Fort Paull
