Littlehampton Redoubt
Encyclopedia
Littlehampton Redoubt, usually known as Littlehampton Fort, was built in 1854 to protect the entrance to the River Arun
at Littlehampton
on the south coast of England
, against possible attack by the French under the Emperor Napoleon III. There had been a previous battery on the east bank of the river, but the new fort was built on the west bank. It consisted of a platform from which cannon could sweep the harbour mouth, with a barracks behind and a surrounding defensive ditch and wall. The fort was an innnovative military structure, incorporating the new feature of a Carnot
wall. Its active use as a fort was short at only about 20 years, due to technical changes in armaments. It was however a precusor of the later Palmerston Forts
. Having had various uses since decommisioning it is now in a ruinous and overgrown state.
In 1756 the Seven Year War with France began and there was a concern about invasion. A battery was erected on the east bank of the river in 1760. This consisted of a bastion set at right angles to the river bank with seven guns which covered the river mouth and seafront. The rampart of this construction still remains incorporated into the amusement park called Harbour Park
.
The Board of Ordnance decided to build a fort at Littlehampton. Historian John Goodwin comments that " the War Office were worried that [the capture of the ports of Littlehampton and Shoreham] would enable the enemy to use the quays for the supply and reinforcement of troops landed to attack Portsmouth form the rear, prior to a march on London."
In the early 1850s planning began for construction of a new fort on the west bank of the river. The work was completed in September 1854 at a cost of £7,615. Construction was overseen by Captain Fenwick of the Royal Engineers
, and was carried out by the London building firm of Locke and Wesham with local labour.
, that is a straight sided crescent.The fort consisted of a platform for the guns with ramparts surrounded by a nine yard (eight metre) wide ditch. The ditch incorporated a Carnot
wall running along its centre. This was designed to halt attackers attempting to cross the ditch. The wall itself had loop-holes for defenders to fire through. In addition at each corner were projecting open bastion
s from which the garrison could fire at besiegers along the length of the wall. To the rear of the gun platform was a fortified barrack block. The fort was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom; its Carnot wall and three open bastions making it unique.
A further barrack block was later built outside the fort to house additional troops. The 1861 Census shows a total complement of 70 men including a gunner, surgeon, drummer, officers, NCOs and privates. The armaments, brought by sea from Woolwich arsenal, were three 68-pounder and two 32-pounder cannons.
Today (2011) the fenced off site is well presented from a viewing place on a wooden walkway laid across the sand dunes. A notice with a diagram describes what can be seen of the fort, that is the surrounding ditch, one of the bastions, part of the Carnot wall and the ramparts behind.
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
at Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
on the south coast of 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...
, against possible attack by the French under the Emperor Napoleon III. There had been a previous battery on the east bank of the river, but the new fort was built on the west bank. It consisted of a platform from which cannon could sweep the harbour mouth, with a barracks behind and a surrounding defensive ditch and wall. The fort was an innnovative military structure, incorporating the new feature of a Carnot
Lazare Carnot
Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Comte Carnot , the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, was a French politician, engineer, and mathematician.-Education and early life:...
wall. Its active use as a fort was short at only about 20 years, due to technical changes in armaments. It was however a precusor of the later Palmerston Forts
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...
. Having had various uses since decommisioning it is now in a ruinous and overgrown state.
Previous fortifications
A battery was planned for the east bank of the Arun at Littlehampton in about 1587, but there is no record of it having been erected and no trace of it remains. There was though a five gun battery at Littlehampton in the early eighteenth century.In 1756 the Seven Year War with France began and there was a concern about invasion. A battery was erected on the east bank of the river in 1760. This consisted of a bastion set at right angles to the river bank with seven guns which covered the river mouth and seafront. The rampart of this construction still remains incorporated into the amusement park called Harbour Park
Harbour Park
Harbour Park is an amusement park in the coastal resort of Littlehampton, West Sussex, England. Opened in 1932, it is situated on the beach, adjacent to the working Harbour & Marina...
.
Plans for a new fort
In the 1840s both public opinion and MPs put pressure on the government to better fortify the south coast against a French attack. In 1846 the Duke of Wellington wrote a public letter to Sir John Burgoyne, Inspector of General Fortifications, expressing his concern about the lack of defensive works along the south coast. This led to discussions in the newspapers which culminated in Parliament voting additional funds for naval and military expenditure. There was also alarm about the intentions of the Emperor Napoleon III in 1852 to 1853.The Board of Ordnance decided to build a fort at Littlehampton. Historian John Goodwin comments that " the War Office were worried that [the capture of the ports of Littlehampton and Shoreham] would enable the enemy to use the quays for the supply and reinforcement of troops landed to attack Portsmouth form the rear, prior to a march on London."
In the early 1850s planning began for construction of a new fort on the west bank of the river. The work was completed in September 1854 at a cost of £7,615. Construction was overseen by Captain Fenwick of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, and was carried out by the London building firm of Locke and Wesham with local labour.
Description of the 1854 fort
The new fort was in the shape of a lunetteLunette (fortification)
In fortification a lunette was originally an outwork of half-moon shape; later it became a redan with short flanks, in trace somewhat resembling a bastion standing by itself without curtains on either side...
, that is a straight sided crescent.The fort consisted of a platform for the guns with ramparts surrounded by a nine yard (eight metre) wide ditch. The ditch incorporated a Carnot
Lazare Carnot
Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Comte Carnot , the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, was a French politician, engineer, and mathematician.-Education and early life:...
wall running along its centre. This was designed to halt attackers attempting to cross the ditch. The wall itself had loop-holes for defenders to fire through. In addition at each corner were projecting open bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s from which the garrison could fire at besiegers along the length of the wall. To the rear of the gun platform was a fortified barrack block. The fort was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom; its Carnot wall and three open bastions making it unique.
A further barrack block was later built outside the fort to house additional troops. The 1861 Census shows a total complement of 70 men including a gunner, surgeon, drummer, officers, NCOs and privates. The armaments, brought by sea from Woolwich arsenal, were three 68-pounder and two 32-pounder cannons.
Later history of the fort
By 1873 the fort had become unable to accommodate, or defend against, larger and more powerful guns and it was taken out of service. The last master gunner, Mr Collinson, was buried in Littlehampton cemetery in 1879. The guns were finally removed in 1897 and the fort partially dismantled.Today (2011) the fenced off site is well presented from a viewing place on a wooden walkway laid across the sand dunes. A notice with a diagram describes what can be seen of the fort, that is the surrounding ditch, one of the bastions, part of the Carnot wall and the ramparts behind.
See also
- Dymchurch RedoubtDymchurch RedoubtDymchurch Grand Redoubt is a fortification on the coast of Kent in England, built during the Napoleonic War as part of a large defensive scheme to protect the country from an expected French invasion.-Description:...
- Eastbourne RedoubtEastbourne RedoubtEastbourne Redoubt is a fort on what is now Royal Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England.-History:The Redoubt was built between 1804 and 1810 to support the associated Martello towers in defending against the threat of an invasion by Napoleon. It has defended the Eastbourne coast for nearly 200...
- Harwich RedoubtHarwich RedoubtHarwich Redoubt is a circular fort built in 1808 to defend the port of Harwich, Essex from Napoleonic invasion. The Harwich Society opens it to the public.- Construction :...
- Shoreham RedoubtShoreham RedoubtShoreham Redoubt stands at the entrance to Shoreham harbour, at the mouth of the River Adur in West Sussex, England. It was planned in the 1850s during a period of alarm about a possible French attack. Construction was completed in June 1857 at a cost of £11,685...
External links
- History of Littehampton Fort by Shoreham Fort website Retrieved 2011-05-21
- The Palmerston Forts Society
- Victorian Forts and Artillery Retrieved 2011-09-04
- The English Heritage listing Retrieved 2011-09-07