The Humber Forts are two large

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

s in the mouth of the

Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

in northern England: Bull Sand Fort () and Haile Sand Fort ().

History

The two forts were planned in 1914, at the start of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, to protect the sea entrance to the Humber Estuary. They stand above the water and have a diameter of . There was accommodation for 200 soldiers. Started in May 1915, they took more than four years to build and construction was not finished until December 1919, a year after the war ended. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the forts were reactivated and modernised. They were regularly attacked by enemy aircraft. During this time, they installed submerged netting to prevent enemy submarines from travelling up the estuary to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

. The forts were finally abandoned by the military in 1956.

Bull Sand Fort

Bull Sand Fort is from shore off

Spurn Head Spurn is a narrow sand tidal island located off the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber Estuary. It was a spit (landform), spit with a s ...

. It is a 4-storey concrete building with of armour on the seaward side, and originally armed with four 6-inch guns. It was built with great difficulty as its sandbank is below low water. In 1987 it was given a Grade II Listed Building status. In 1997 it was sold to the Streetwise Charitable Trust, who intended to restore the fort for use as a drug rehabilitation facility. The plan failed eventually. The trust no longer operates. Administratively, it is within the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Easington. In July 2022, it was listed for sale by auction, with a guide price of £50,000, through Savills estate agents. The fort was sold for £490,000.

Haile Sand Fort

Haile Sand Fort or Sand Haile Fort is the smaller of the two and is situated around the low-water mark between

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...

and

Humberston Humberston is a village and civil parish south of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire, England. Boundary and population The village's boundary with Cleethorpes runs along North Sea Lane and Humberston Road. Unusually, Humberston's civil ...

on the

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

coast. In February 2016 the fort was put on the market. It remained unsold until it was put up for auction in October 2018. It was sold for £117,000 at the auction to an unnamed purchaser.

References

External links

* *
Humber Forts page on North East Lincolnshire Council website

Island of Hope Charitable Trust
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Lincolnshire Grade II listed buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire Grade II listed forts 20th-century forts in England Humber World War I sites in England Sea forts

History

Bull Sand Fort

Haile Sand Fort

See also

References

External links