Fortification Galleries
This can be seen on the Gallery page
The latest Gallery is Old Needles Battery: Isle of Wight Defences of Portsmouth.
Any requests, e-mail the webmaster
Fort Gilkicker, Gosport
The Fort Gilkicker website includes details of the historical aspects of Stokes Bay and its defences.
It can be found at:
www.fortgilkicker.co.uk
What do you think should be done with Fort Gilkicker?
Journalists required
If you think you can supply this website with up-to-date information and news about Victorian fortifications in your area then contact the webmaster. You will then be given the link to register as a Journalist. We would be pleased to hear from anyone willing to write about fortified areas in the UK or abroad.
Flickr Groups
British Victorian Fortification
British Victorian Artillery
Download these PAV bookmarks for printing. Calendars are also available from the downloads page
Publications
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The Brennan Torpedo
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A new edition of Alec Beanse's book The Brennan Torpedo is now available. The plans and diagrams have been redrawn and colour photographs have been added. It is available from Amazon.co.uk. and via this website.  The Brennan Torpedo was an ingenious wire-guided and powered torpedo, invented and developed by Louis Brennan in the late 1880s and 1890s. It was adopted for use in the defences of the UK and at two stations abroad, Hong Kong and Malta, for a short period to 1906. During its brief operational life it was operated by the Royal Engineers. Some of the great Victorian coast defence forts were modified to receive Brennan Torpedo stations whilst other stations were built from new. The existence of this amazing piece of defence engineering has, up to now, been little known. The method of its operation, the nature of of the mechanism by which it worked and the story of this torpedo's development has been painstakingly researched over many years by the author, who now explains how it worked and how it was incorporated into the Victorian defences. A4 format with colour and black/white photographs, 64 pages with many diagrams and plans. EAN 978-0-9548453-6-0 Price £6.00 Sterling plus £1.09 post (UK) Preview the book here: The Brennan TorpedoOrder form here: Solent Papers and Victorian Forts |
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Solent Papers
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A new edition of Solent Papers No.6 Fort Brockhurst and the Gomer Elson Forts is now available. The text has been updated, all the plans have been redrawn and colour photographs have been added. It is available from Amazon.co.uk. and via this website.
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New publications
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Alec Beanse's and Roger Gills's The London Mobilisation Centres has been republished by David Moore.
Preview the book here:
Victorian Forts publications
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New Publications
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A Handbook of Military Terms by David Moore has been updated and re-published.
Preview the book here:
Victorian Forts publications
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Buy books on Fortification and Artillery
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British Fortification
British Artillery
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Latest News
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Fort Camden Cork
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A video showing the cleanup at Fort Camden, Cork.
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Fort Brockhurst Opening Times 2012
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The fort opens 11am-3pm on the second Sat of every month, 1 April to 30 September plus Sunday 10th June (Gosport's Big Day Out)
and 7th-9th September (Heritage Open Days).
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Bembridge Fort Tours 2012
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Tours of this Victorian Fort on Bembridge Down, Isle of Wight, take place during the afternoon of the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in each month between April and October with additional tours being held in August. Tours, which last approximately 1.5 hours are conducted by volunteer guides and in 2012 tours will cost £3.50 per person (including National Trust members).
Please note: Places must be booked in advance.
Tours are not suitable for children under the age of 10.
More details here:
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Western Heights Dover
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Western Heights Preservation Society are raising money on 7th April with a sponsored climb of the three staircases of the Grand Shaft.
Details here:
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No.2 Battery 2012 opening
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The Historical Diving Society will open their museum at No.2 Battery Stokes Bay, Gosport in 2012 from Easter weekend onwards.
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Priddy's Hard Ramparts
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Explosion Mueum at Priddy's Hard, Gosport are running tours of the old ramparts, part of the Gosport Lines, on the first Saturday of every month beginning 7th April 2012 until October.
Times: 1pm (meet at Museum Coffee Shop). Places are £2 per person and must be booked in advance.
Explosion Museum |
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Fortification News
Spithead Forts
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Clarenco, who own the Amazing Retreats portfolio, have announced that they have purchased two more of the Spithead Forts to add to their range of properties for conversion to modern use. No Mans Land Fort is to become another 'for hire' venue in The Solent. It will be restored with the development of 30 bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool, games rooms, and several meeting and dining spaces. Planning has also been approved for a helipad and marina/harbour area. Horse Sand Fort, which completes the trio, will be converted into a museum with displays of the history of the three forts. All will form "Solent Forts" and will accessed by boats from Royal Clarence Marina at Gosport. Spitbank Fort is due to open as an 'exclusive-use' venue in April 2012, with 'nine luxuriously furnished bedroom suites, three bars, three restaurant areas, spa facilities and function space for up to 60 delegates. The final fort of the four Spithead Defences, St. Helens, does not yet have such a secure future.
More details can be found here:
Clarenco
and here:
Clarenco
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Drake's Island Plymouth
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A planning apllication has been submitted to Plymouth Council for the development of Drakes Island.
The proposal is for "Refurbishment and extensions to existing redundant buildings to form hotel development to include refurbishment of jetty, refurbishment, part demolition and extensions to Grade II listed Barrack Block, Island House, and Ablutions Block. Refurbishment and part demolition to scheduled Ancient Monument Casemated Battery and general landscaping and infrastructure works."
The applicant is "Rotolock (Holdings) Ltd Tiverton Business Park Tiverton EX16 6SB."
The detailed proposals can be viewed online here:
Plymouth Planning weekly lists
Planning Drake's Island
The Scheduled Monument of The Coastal fortifications of Drake’s Island (SAM 12614) comprises three designated areas. At the western end of the island, the designated area includes the main entrance, coastal walls and the western gun battery. A small area in the north-east of the island encloses a small area believed to contain remains of a 16th century artillery tower. The largest area includes the majority of the central and eastern parts of the island, enclosing the casemated battery, and most of the later artillery batteries and magazines.
The development proposals seek to carry out the necessary alterations and extensions to allow the island to function as a luxury hotel resort. Access to the island will be made available to hotel residents and guests, with arrangements made to allow controlled access to members of the public.The Casemated Battery at the east end of the island will be converted to provide additional hotel accommodation in the form of single and double unit suites and parts of the building will be fully restored and made accessible to the public.The development will have an impact on the defensive structures of the island and a study of this impact has been prepared by Wessex Archaeology.
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Hilsea Lines Portsmouth
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Portsmouth City Council has been granted a sum of £20,000 by The Forestry Commission to improve access to the woodland surrounding the ramparts of Hilsea Lines. The money will be used to create a new woodland walk as well as to clear paths and to add seats and interpretation boards. Hilsea Lines was given a Green Space award in 2010 when then judges were impressed with the use of space, well-maintained facilities and the high standard of safety and security there.
More details here:
The News Portsmouth
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Grain Fort
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If the proposed development of an airport at Isle of Grain (Boris Island) becomes a reality it will swallow the three sites of the Isle of Grain defences: Grain Fort, Isle of Grain Battery and Dummy Battery. Of these Grain Fort is Scheduled and should be protected but little remains of it above ground. There is nothing left of Isle of Grain Battery. Dummy Battery is mostly destroyed with some isolated bits of concrete and a gun emplacement still visible.
Thames Estuary Airport
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Malta websites update
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The Malta, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, websites have been updated.
They can be found here:
Malta War Museum
Saluting Battery
Rinella Battery (Fort Rinella)
Please also note that we have now added two blogs in or websites which
you may wish to start using. We plan to have a blog in each of our
sites.
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26 Dec 2011 by Mario Farrugia
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