Fort Albert
Encyclopedia
Fort Albert is a tower fort nestling under the cliffs west of Fort Victoria
on the Isle of Wight
, England
. It was also known as Cliff End Fort, named after the Northern extremity of Colwell Bay
(Cliff's End).
forts built in the 19th Century as part of Lord Palmerston's defences
against the possibility of a French attack from Napoleon III. Designed to defend the Needles Passage, it was completed in 1856, after 4 years of construction, but like the American Third System forts it resembles in miniature, it would have suffered badly from rifled gunfire, so the Royal Commission enhanced it with batteries on the cliffs above. Even so, with the introduction of armoured ships, the fort became obsolete by 1858. In 1886 it was chosen as one of the UK locations for the Brennan torpedo
which had a range sufficient to close the strait. This too became obsolete, and was dismantled in 1906. After this, only small guns were mounted on the fort. The fort was altered during World War II
, when it was used as an anti-shipping observation tower. It was closed to military use in 1957.
and has been converted into private flats. There is no public access, not even to the cliff tops which overlook it. It is most easily viewed from the sea, or from Hurst Castle
. The battery above is part of a chalet estate at Brambles Chine, another location to view the fort which is passed through by runners on The Needles
annual Half Marathon.
Fort Victoria (Isle of Wight)
Fort Victoria was a single tier battery with defensible barracks west of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England, built in the 1850s, later used as a submarine mining centre and training area for military purposes....
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was also known as Cliff End Fort, named after the Northern extremity of Colwell Bay
Colwell Bay
Colwell Bay is a bay in the west of the Isle of Wight. It is located between the towns of Totland and Yarmouth. The bay's northernmost point is Cliff's End the closest point of the Island to the British mainland, with Hurst Castle lying at the end of a long peninsula just 1500 metres to the...
(Cliff's End).
History
Fort Albert was built on an artificial island to defend the western approach to Portsmouth. It was intended to house 29 guns in four tiers, being among the last gun-towers constructed in England. It was one of the Royal CommissionRoyal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
In 1859 Lord Palmerston instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom because of serious concerns that France might attempt to invade the UK...
forts built in the 19th Century as part of Lord Palmerston's defences
Palmerston Forts
The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures, around the coast of Britain.The forts were built during the Victorian period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, following concerns about the strength of the French Navy, and...
against the possibility of a French attack from Napoleon III. Designed to defend the Needles Passage, it was completed in 1856, after 4 years of construction, but like the American Third System forts it resembles in miniature, it would have suffered badly from rifled gunfire, so the Royal Commission enhanced it with batteries on the cliffs above. Even so, with the introduction of armoured ships, the fort became obsolete by 1858. In 1886 it was chosen as one of the UK locations for the Brennan torpedo
Brennan Torpedo
The Brennan torpedo was a torpedo patented by Irish born Australian inventor Louis Brennan in 1877. It was powered by two contra-rotating propellors that were spun by rapidly pulling out wires from drums wound inside the torpedo...
which had a range sufficient to close the strait. This too became obsolete, and was dismantled in 1906. After this, only small guns were mounted on the fort. The fort was altered during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when it was used as an anti-shipping observation tower. It was closed to military use in 1957.
The Fort Today
The fort is in private ownership of harbour developmentsand has been converted into private flats. There is no public access, not even to the cliff tops which overlook it. It is most easily viewed from the sea, or from Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle on the south coast of England is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built at the end of a long shingle barrier beach at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Southampton. Hurst Castle was sited at the narrow entrance to the Solent where the ebb and flow of the tides...
. The battery above is part of a chalet estate at Brambles Chine, another location to view the fort which is passed through by runners on The Needles
The Needles
The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, England, close to Alum Bay. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation...
annual Half Marathon.