Newhaven Fort
Newhaven Fort | |
---|---|
Lewes East Sussex England | |
Coordinates | 50°46′59″N 0°03′16″E / 50.783184°N 0.054361°E |
Site information | |
Owner | Lewes District Council |
Open to the public | Yes |
Site history | |
Built | 1864-71 |
In use | Museum |
Materials | Concrete Brick Earth |
Newhaven Fort is a
and is now open as a museum.History
Design and construction
A new fort to defend the port of Newhaven was a recommendation of the 1859
Work commenced in 1864, with a workforce of 250 men and three steam engines. Shingle for the concrete was taken from the beach and clay for the six million bricks required was found nearby. Work was completed in the summer of 1871 and the guns were emplaced in 1873.[1]
Military service
The fort proper was originally armed on the eastern side in the 1870s with two
The main 6-inch Mark VII guns were replaced in 1941 by a battery of
Preservation
The army vacated the fort in 1962. Restoration began in 1982 following a failed commercial redevelopment venture, and 6-inch Mk VII guns have been re-installed in the fort to approximate the 1906 - 1941 armament. The fort is preserved and maintained by Lewes District Council as Newhaven Fort.
Media
In 2015 the fort's network of tunnels was featured extensively in the British horror film, 'The Cutting Room'. In the BBC TV programme Great British Railway Journeys (Series 7, Episode 7), Michael Portillo visited Newhaven Fort.
Events
Image gallery
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5.5-inch field gunfrom World War II outside the tearoom
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6-inch Mk VII gunwhich was installed in the 1980s to replace a previously removed gun
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QF 12-pounder gunat the fort
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The caponier at the foot of the cliffs
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The stairs leading to the caponier
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d Newhaven Fort - Lieutenant Ardagh - The man who built the Fort Archived 2013-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "English Heritage PastScape - NEWHAVEN FORT AND CASTLE HILL FORT, EAST SUSSEX". Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ISBN 07277-2875-X(p. 373)
- ^ Victorian Forts - Datasheets - Newhaven Fort
- ^ Tony DiGiulian, British 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark VII 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark VIII 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XXIV
- ^ "FORT PROCESS, a experimental sound & art festival". 22 August 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
External links
- Newhaven Fort : official website
- Victorian Forts data sheet
- Redoubt Fortress Museum Archived 18 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Eastbourne Redoubt
- The Royal Sussex Living History Group