Palmerston Forts, Isle of Wight
The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures built during the Victorian period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. The name comes from their association with Lord Palmerston, who was Prime Minister at the time and promoted the idea.
The structures were built as a response to a perceived threat of a French invasion. The works were also known as Palmerston's Follies as, by the time they were completed the threat (if it had ever existed) had passed, largely due to the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and technological advancements leading to the guns becoming out-of-date.[1]
As well as new structures, extensive modifications were made to existing defences.
The defences on the Isle of Wight were built to protect the approaches to the Solent, Southampton and Portsmouth. They consist of three separate groups, those at the western end of the island, those at the eastern end, and four built in the Solent.
The information in the tables is taken from documents for each site, from the Victorian Forts website.[2]
Western end
Site name | Location | Open to the public? | Construction began | Construction ended | Cost | Grid reference | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Victoria | Sconce Point, Yarmouth | 1852 | 1855 | £40,000[3] | SZ338897 | ||
Fort Albert (aka 'Cliff End Fort') | Cliff End, Freshwater | 1854[3] | 1856 | Unknown | SZ329890 | ||
Freshwater Redoubt | Freshwater Bay | 1855 | 1856 | Unknown | SZ344855 | ||
The Needles Batteries | Alum Bay | 1861 | 1863 | £7,656 | SZ295848 | ||
Warden Point Battery | Warden Point, Freshwater | 1862 | 1863 | £12,899 | SZ325876 | ||
Cliff End Battery | Cliff End, Freshwater | 1862 | 1868 | £32,714 | SZ332890 | ||
Golden Hill Fort | Afton Down | 1863 | 1868 | £38,022 | SZ339879 | ||
Hatherwood Battery | Alum Bay | 1865 | 1869 | £5,825 | SZ307858 | ||
The New Needles Battery | Alum Bay | 1893 | 1895 | £9,821[4] | SZ299847 | ||
Bouldnor Battery | Bouldnor | 1937 | 1938 | Unknown | SZ379902 |
Eastern end
Site name | Location | Open to the public? | Construction began | Construction ended | Cost | Grid reference | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Puckpool Battery | Puckpool Point | 1863 | 1865 | 20,864 | SZ615923 | ||
Nodes Point Battery | Nodes Point | 1901 | 1904 | £21,654 | SZ635898 | ||
Steynewood Battery | Whitecliff Bay | 1889 | 1893 | Unknown | SZ641869 | ||
Culver Battery | Culver Down | 1904 | 1906 | Unknown | SZ638855 | ||
Bembridge Fort | Bembridge Down | 1862 | 1867 | £48,925 | SZ624861 | ||
Redcliff Battery | Culver Down | 1861 | 1863 | £4,776 | SZ638855 | ||
Yaverland Battery | Yaverland | 1861 | 1864 | 15,183 | SZ612849 | ||
Sandown Fort | Sandown Bay | 1861 | 1864 | £73,876 | SZ597839 | ||
Sandown Barrack Battery | Sandown Bay | 1861 | 1863 | £62,331 | SZ594837 |
- List of forts on the Isle of Wight
Solent
References
- "'Palmerston's Follies': a reply to the French 'threat'". www.napoleon.org. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- Victorian Forts website citation sheets for each location. Retrieved 2012-01-22. (PDF files).
- "Freshwater Redoubt" (PDF).
- "Old Needles Battery" (PDF).
- "Hatherwood Battery" (PDF).
- "Warden Point Battery" (PDF).
- "Golden Hill Fort" (PDF).
- "Cliff End Battery" (PDF).
- "Fort Albert" (PDF).
- "Fort Victoria" (PDF).
- "Bouldnor Battery" (PDF).
- "Puckpool Battery" (PDF).
- "Nodes Point Battery" (PDF).
- "Steynewood Battery" (PDF).
- "Culver Battery" (PDF).
- "Bembridge Fort" (PDF).
- "Redcliff Battery" (PDF).
- "Yaverland Battery" (PDF).
- "Sandown (granite) Fort" (PDF).
- "Sandown Barrack Battery" (PDF).
-
- Cantwell, Anthony (1985). Fort Victoria: 1852–1969. Isle of Wight County Council Cultural Service. ISBN 0-906328-32-2.
- "The Needles Battery – History of the New Battery". Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
Bibliography
- Solent Papers No. 2 The Needles Defences by Anthony Cantwell - ISBN 978-0-9513234-9-6
- Solent Papers No. 10 The East Wight Defences by David Moore - ISBN 978-0-9548453-3-9