Bembridge Fort (map reference ) is a fort built on the highest point of

Bembridge Down Bembridge Down is a Site of special scientific interest which is north-east of Sandown, Isle of Wight, England. The site was notified in 1951 for both its biological and geological features. References Natural England citation sheet
Sit ...

close to the village of

Bembridge Bembridge is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to the implausible claim by so ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, England. It is one of the many

Palmerston Forts The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The forts were built during the Victorian period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the ...

built around

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

during the period of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

, as a safeguard against a perceived threat of French invasion by

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

Description

The hexagonally shaped fort was the main stronghold for the south east coastline of the

and was designed as a final retreat if the island was to be invaded. Due to its location with a view over both

Sandown Bay Sandown Bay is a broad open bay which stretches for much of the length of the Isle of Wight's southeastern coast. It extends from Culver Down, near Yaverland in the northeast of the Island, to just south of Shanklin, near the village of Luc ...

and the Eastern

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit whi ...

it acted as the command and control centre for the Western batteries on the

: Redcliff Battery,

Yaverland Battery Yaverland Battery is a battery on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. It was constructed between 1861 and 1864. It originally mounted eight 7-inch Armstrong Rifled Breech Loading (RBL) guns, and enclosed with a Carnot wall. A rear surrounding wal ...

Sandown Fort Sandown Fort (map reference ) is a fort built in Sandown on the Isle of Wight in the middle of Sandown Bay. It is one of the many Palmerston Forts built on the island to protect it in response to a perceived French invasion. It was a replacement o ...

and

Sandown Barrack Battery Sandown Barrack Battery (map reference ) is a battery located in Sandown Bay close to Sandown on the Isle of Wight in England. It is one of the many Palmerston Forts built on the island to protect it in response to a perceived French invasion. ...

. The fort had barrack accommodation for 4 officers and 106 men with an original armament of six RBL 7 inch Armstrong guns mounted on the

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

side.

History

1860s: The Yarborough Monument was moved stone by stone from the summit of

to make way for the new fort. 1862–1867: Construction of the fort at a cost of £48,925. 1869: Guns mounted on the fort. 1871–1880: The fort changed hands frequently and was occupied by various military units while armed including: the 103rd Regiment (Royal Bombay Fusiliers), 7th Brigade Royal Artillery, 102nd Regiment (Royal Madras Fusiliers), 49th Regiment, 107th Regiment (Bengal Light Infantry) and then the 42nd Regiment (The Black Watch). 1880–1900: Experimental base for anti submarine and anti torpedo devices. Two heavily armoured cables ran from the fort to the sea to form an indicator loop which was used to detect any passing metal objects. 1892:

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

Office commanding the East Wight Defences was built. 1900–1914: Training camp and garrison duties. 1914–1920: A cavalry followed by a heavy artillery unit was stationed at the fort. 1920–1939: Territorial army observation post for artillery based at

. 1938:

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

's anti submarine division laid indicator loops across the channel into Spitbank Fort during the war three further harbour defence loops were laid and monitored from the fort. 1939–1945: Command post for anti-aircraft regiments and H.Q. for local

home guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

, two Allan Williams turrets were installed. The fort also housed a reserve radar station after the bombing of Ventnor radar station. 1948: The war department relinquished control. 1948–1965: The fort fell into disrepair and was heavily vandalised. 1965: Purchased by

Isle of Wight County Council Isle of Wight Council, known between 1890 and 1995 as Isle of Wight County Council, is the local authority for the Isle of Wight in England. Since 1995 it has been a unitary authority, being a county council which also performs the functions of ...

, becomes a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. 1967: The fort was acquired by

The National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

as part of Project Neptune. 1968:

let the fort to a light engineering firm who occupied the site until 1998, due to its protected status the factory buildings were not permanently fixed to the fort. 2008: The Western end of the fort became occupied by a light engineering firm. A team of volunteers from the National Trust began clearing the debris from the fort in 2005 and this work is still ongoing.

References

Publications

* Moore, David, 2010. ''The East Wight Defences'', Solent Papers Number 10, David Moore, Gosport.

External links

Victorian Forts data sheet

National Trust Bembridge Fort
{{Palmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight Forts on the Isle of Wight Palmerston Forts Government buildings completed in 1867 Military installations established in 1867 1867 establishments in England Bembridge Scheduled monuments in Isle of Wight