Palmerston Forts Built Around Fareham

1860

In the 1860s, a ring of forts was constructed around Portsmouth and across Portsdown Hill to defend the naval base from potential attack, particularly from France. Several of these so-called Palmerston Forts were built in the Fareham area, including Fort Wallington, Fort Fareham, and Fort Nelson (on Portsdown Hill, technically just within the borough boundary). The forts were part of a massive defensive programme commissioned by Lord Palmerston's government, which feared a French invasion in the wake of Napoleon III's military build-up. The forts were built of brick and earth, designed to withstand artillery bombardment and to provide positions from which defending troops could cover the approaches to Portsmouth. They were never used in anger against the French, and by the time they were completed, the threat had largely passed, earning them the nickname 'Palmerston's Follies'. Nevertheless, the forts remained in military use through both World Wars and some continued in service into the Cold War period. Fort Nelson, the most accessible, is now home to the Royal Armouries collection of artillery and is open to the public. Fort Fareham and Fort Wallington are in various states of conversion and private use. The forts are a distinctive feature of the Fareham landscape, their grass-covered ramparts and brick-lined casements visible from roads and footpaths around the borough.