This fort is located on a shingle spit between the river Adur and the sea, just South East of Shoreham-On-Sea. It was built in the 1850s and is polygonal in shape, although it is very different from the forts on Portsdown Hill. The fort takes the form of a raised earth terreplein, which held the open concrete gun positions, surrounded by a Carnot Wall and shallow ditch. The ditch has three caponniers protecting it, the central one being the largest. Accomodation was provided by a barrack block at the rear of the fort, but this has been demolished. The fort was re-armed in WW2 and an observation tower installed.
Although derelict for many years, the fort has been given a new lease of life with the formation of the Friends of Shoreham Fort, please visit their website (http://www.shorehamfort.co.uk/) for details of open days.
Although derelict for many years, the fort has been given a new lease of life with the formation of the Friends of Shoreham Fort, please visit their website (http://www.shorehamfort.co.uk/) for details of open days.
Plan, courtesy of the Palmerston Forts Society
View from in front of the main caponnier, showing the Carnot Wall
Sealed entrance into the tunnel leading to caponnier
Tunnel leading to Caponnier
Inside the main caponnier
Looking back to tunnel
On the roof of the caponnier
Carnot Wall, from the ditch
One of the two smaller caponiers
Entrance
Inside, it is half-full of shingle and rubbish
Observation Tower, later used by coastguard
Centre of the fort, showing magazine entrances
Gun positions on the Terreplein
One of the expense magazines below the guns
5 comments:
Please visit www.shorehamfort.co.uk for more details and to join the friends of shoreham fort society
amazing place, am glad to see the ole place is being fixed up
This fort is well worth a visit. An amazing amount of work is being carried out by the volunteers.
The Friends of Shoreham Fort became a registered charity in June 2012 and their aims are to conserve, maintain and restore the fort back to her 1857 glory.
The site is open to the public at all times but fortnightly we have volunteer days, whatever the weather, and free tours of the closed areas of the fort are available. If you visit the site you will see that we are currently uncovering the remains of the Barrack Block.
Please visit our website or our facebook page for further details on when the Friends of Shoreham Fort are on site.
Look forward to seeing you down there :)
I went past there the other day and the observation tower has gone
Post a comment