Palmerston Forts, Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

Locations of Palmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight.

Plan of the Victorian defences of the 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had passed, largely due to the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and technological advancements leading to the guns becoming out-of-date.^[1]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

A 12.5 inch gun from Cliff End Battery

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	Cliff End, Freshwater		1854[3]	1856	Unknown	SZ329890
Freshwater Redoubt	Freshwater Bay		1855	1856	Unknown	SZ344855
The Needles Battery	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

• Spitbank Fort
• St Helens Fort
• Horse Sand Fort
• No Mans Land Fort

References

1. "'Palmerston's Follies': a reply to the French 'threat'". www.napoleon.org. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
2. 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).

3. • Cantwell, Anthony (1985). Fort Victoria: 1852–1969. Isle of Wight County Council Cultural Service. ISBN 0-906328-32-2.
4. "The Needles Battery – History of the New Battery". Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-07.

External links

• Palmerston Forts Society
• Victorian Forts website

Bibliography

• Solent Papers No. 2 The Needles Defences by Anthony Cantwell - EAN 978-0-9513234-9-6
• Solent Papers No. 10 The East Wight Defences by David Moore - EAN 978-0-9548453-3-9