Fort Nelson, Hampshire

Fort Nelson, Hampshire
Fort Nelson, Hampshire
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
	Location of Fort Nelson, Hampshire in Hampshire

Fort Nelson, in the

Listed Building.^[2]

Description

Fort Nelson is a typical

7 inch rifled breech-loaders

.

The Nelson Monument, which gave the fort its name, stands adjacent.^[3]

History

Fort Nelson is one of five

volunteers accompanied by regular army officers would have staffed the fort in time of war. Construction was protracted and Fort Nelson was not fully armed until the 1890s.^[4]

The fort was disarmed in 1907 and then used for accommodation. In 1938, it was converted to an area anti-aircraft ammunition store; ten large magazines were built on the parade ground. Fort Nelson was abandoned in the 1950s.

In 1979, after years of neglect and vandalism, it was sold to Hampshire County Council^[5] for £50,000. The Council, with assistance of volunteers from the Palmerston Forts Society, restored it at a cost of £3–4 million, and it opened to the public in 1994, becoming part of the Royal Armouries in 1995. It houses their collection of artillery, including:

The 'Boxted Bombard', an English wrought iron cannon from around 1450, which was powerful enough to fire a 60 kg granite ball
The 'Dardanelles Gun', an Ottoman bronze cannon from 1464 which was powerful enough to fire stone balls with a diameter of 63 cm^[6]
French field guns captured at the Battle of Waterloo
Fortress guns from India and China.
Parts of the famous Iraqi 'Project Babylon' Gulf War-era supergun.
One of the two Mallet's Mortars.^[7]
Several
SBBL 32 pounders

The fort covers around 19 acres (77,000 m²) and is open all year round, with no charges except for some special events. Live firing demonstrations are held every day, costumed guides, video presentations, and visitors are able to explore the tunnels that run below the fort connecting the magazines with gun emplacements. There are displays demonstrating the living and working conditions of the soldiers who defended the fort, and views over

Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight

beyond.

Part of the defences of Fort Nelson

Sources

The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson – Official Site. Page retrieved at 01:53am 5 May 2008.
Portsmouth Naval and Defence Heritage. Page retrieved at 11.30am 29 July 2005.
Fareham Borough Council page on Fort Nelson. Page retrieved at 12.20pm 29 July 2005.

References

^ "Office for National Statistics". Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1350616)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
^ "Reason for name". Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2007.
ISBN 0-9523634-0-2
.

^ Anon. Fort Nelson, Home of the big guns. Royal Armouries. p. 5.

ISBN 9781913013400
.

ISBN 0-9523634-3-7
.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson.

The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson – Official Site.

The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson – Guide

Fareham Borough Council page on Fort Nelson

Palmerston Forts Society

Victorian Forts data sheet

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Nelson,_Hampshire&oldid=1220826226"

[1] "Office for National Statistics". Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2009.

[2] Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1350616)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.

[3] "Reason for name". Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2007.

[moore4-4] ISBN 0-9523634-0-2
.

[5] Anon. Fort Nelson, Home of the big guns. Royal Armouries. p. 5.

[Impey80-6] ISBN 9781913013400
.

[Moore8-7] ISBN 0-9523634-3-7
.

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]