Spitbank Fort
Encyclopedia
Spitbank Fort or Spitsand Fort or Spit Sand Fort or simply Spit Fort is a sea fort built as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission
. The fort is located in the Solent
, near Portsmouth
, England
.
Work on constructing the fort started in 1861 but was soon halted for a review into the best way to defend the Solent and approaches to Portsmouth Harbour
. Work restarted in 1867 and was completed in 1878.
Spitbank is smaller than the two main Solent forts, Horse Sand Fort
and No Man's Land Fort. Its main purpose was as a further line of defence for ships that made it past the two main forts. It is 162 feet in diameter across at its base, with 1 floor and a basement and armour plating only on the seaward side. It was originally planned to have been armed with nine 10" eighteen ton rifled muzzle loader (RML) guns on the seaward side, and six 7" seven ton RML guns on the landward side. However, by the time of completion the plan had changed so that the seaward side received nine 12.5-inch muzzle-loading (RML) guns
. From 1884 more modern 12-inch breechloading guns
were installed and these were in service until after World War I
.
In 1898 the role of the fort was changed to defend against light craft and the roof was fitted out with two 4.7" guns and searchlights. In the early 1900s all but three original large guns were removed. Minor upgrades to the smaller guns and searchlights continued through the years.
The fort was declared surplus to requirements in 1962 and disposed of by the Ministry of Defence
in 1982. The fort is now privately owned and once opened as a museum. It has 50 rooms, its own dance hall, restaurant, and was once available for private functions with limited accommodation available. It was the venue for the Coaltion Festival in the summer of 2009, and other psytrance and hard dance
parties.
In 2009 it was put on sale for but was sold before auction, reportedly for more than £1m.
Beginning June 4, 2002 the Fort was used as a location for 'Banged Up With Beadle'. For six weeks British TV personality Jeremy Beadle
was locked in its dungeons. Cameras followed him as he coped with survival, plus learning skills with a different member of the public each week. These skills were put to the test as a live insert each Saturday evening into 'Ant and Dec's Takeaway'. The fort was also featured on an episode of Most Haunted
in series 8.
Apart from those already mentioned there is one other sea fort, built just off the north east coast of the Isle of Wight
, St Helens Fort
.
It is currently owned by Amazing Retreats, and is being renovated to be used as a holiday destination, with a scheduled completion of November 2011.
Royal 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...
. The fort is located in the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
, near Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, 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...
.
Work on constructing the fort started in 1861 but was soon halted for a review into the best way to defend the Solent and approaches to Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it is a ria: formerly it was the valley of a stream flowing from Portsdown into the Solent River. The city of Portsmouth lies to the east on Portsea Island, and Gosport to the west on the mainland...
. Work restarted in 1867 and was completed in 1878.
Spitbank is smaller than the two main Solent forts, Horse Sand Fort
Horse Sand Fort
Horse Sand Fort is one of the larger Royal Commission sea forts in the Solent off Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is 240 feet across, built between 1865 and 1880, with two floors and a basement, armour plated all round....
and No Man's Land Fort. Its main purpose was as a further line of defence for ships that made it past the two main forts. It is 162 feet in diameter across at its base, with 1 floor and a basement and armour plating only on the seaward side. It was originally planned to have been armed with nine 10" eighteen ton rifled muzzle loader (RML) guns on the seaward side, and six 7" seven ton RML guns on the landward side. However, by the time of completion the plan had changed so that the seaward side received nine 12.5-inch muzzle-loading (RML) guns
RML 12.5 inch 38 ton gun
The RML 12.5 inch guns were large rifled muzzle-loading guns designed for British battleships and were also employed for coast defence.-Design:The gun originated from a desire for a longer 12-inch gun than the existing RML 12 inch 35 ton gun...
. From 1884 more modern 12-inch breechloading guns
BL 12 inch naval gun Mk I - VII
The BL 12 inch naval gun Mk I was Britain's first attempt to match the large breech-loading naval guns being installed in rival European navies, particularly France...
were installed and these were in service until after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1898 the role of the fort was changed to defend against light craft and the roof was fitted out with two 4.7" guns and searchlights. In the early 1900s all but three original large guns were removed. Minor upgrades to the smaller guns and searchlights continued through the years.
The fort was declared surplus to requirements in 1962 and disposed of by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in 1982. The fort is now privately owned and once opened as a museum. It has 50 rooms, its own dance hall, restaurant, and was once available for private functions with limited accommodation available. It was the venue for the Coaltion Festival in the summer of 2009, and other psytrance and hard dance
Hard dance
Hard Dance is an umbrella term that refers to a group of Hard electronic dance genres which aren't hard enough to be classified as hardcore. The term usually includes genres such as Hard House, Hard NRG, Hard Trance, and Hardstyle...
parties.
In 2009 it was put on sale for but was sold before auction, reportedly for more than £1m.
Beginning June 4, 2002 the Fort was used as a location for 'Banged Up With Beadle'. For six weeks British TV personality Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street and EastEnders on one...
was locked in its dungeons. Cameras followed him as he coped with survival, plus learning skills with a different member of the public each week. These skills were put to the test as a live insert each Saturday evening into 'Ant and Dec's Takeaway'. The fort was also featured on an episode of Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
in series 8.
Apart from those already mentioned there is one other sea fort, built just off the north east coast of 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...
, St Helens Fort
St Helens Fort
St Helens Fort was built between 1867 and 1880 as a result of the Royal Commission, in the Solent close in to the Isle of Wight to protect the St Helens Road anchorage, it suffered badly from subsidence which forced many changes to the plans, ending up with two 10-inch 18-ton rifled muzzle loading ...
.
It is currently owned by Amazing Retreats, and is being renovated to be used as a holiday destination, with a scheduled completion of November 2011.