Inner Pierhead Fort is a 19th-century

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

built to defend

Portland Harbour Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. Construction of the harbour began in 1849; when completed in 1872, its surface area made it the largest man-made harbour in the world, and remai ...

at the

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It is positioned on the end of the inner breakwater, which abuts from the former dockyard of HMNB Portland. The fort was constructed between 1859-1862, and is 100 ft in diameter. The inner breakwater, including the fort, became Grade II Listed in 1978.

History

Inner Pierhead Fort was one of a number of forts and defence installations built to defend Portland Harbour and its naval base. Prior to its construction, tests on the strength of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a buildi ...

compared with granite was conducted by the Army. Two butt walls were built, one in each stone type, and these were fired upon by HMS ''Blenheim''. As Portland stone was stronger, it was selected as the building stone for the fort. In 1892, it was reported that the battery was armed with eight 64-pounder guns, and by 1902, two 12-pounder quick-firing guns had been installed. A 40 mm Bofors gun was added during World War II. As the 20th-century progressed, the fort fell into disuse. In 1996, HMNB Portland closed and Portland Port Ltd became the new owners of the harbour, which was transformed into a commercial port.

References

{{Isle of Portland Isle of Portland Forts in Dorset Coastal artillery Jurassic Coast