Bembridge Fort (map reference ) is a fort built on the highest point of Bembridge Down close to the village of

Bembridge Bembridge is a village and 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 some residents that Bembridge ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

, 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 and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

during the period of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France. Historians in the 1930s ...

, 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 the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

. 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 L ...

and the Eastern

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay ...

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 w ...

, Sandown Fort and Sandown Barrack Battery). 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 extension of the 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/breast'). ...

side.

History

1860s: The Yarborough Monument was moved stone by stone from the summit of Bembridge Down 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 An anti-submarine indicator loop was a submerged cable laid on the sea bed and used to detect the passage of enemy submarines. History In the first years of World War I submarines were fearful, one-sided weapons because they were invisible. In J ...

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 United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

's anti submarine division laid indicator loops across the channel into

Spitbank Fort 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 one of four built as part of the Palmerston Forts constructions. Located in the Solent, near Portsmou ...

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 military reserve force, reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the America ...

, 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, 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 and d ...

. 1967: The fort was acquired by

The National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

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 Infrastructure completed in 1867 1867 establishments in England Bembridge