Brean Down Fort
Entry posted by Animedragon in General
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Brean Down is a headland between Burnham on sea and Weston super mare in Somerset and at the far end of it stands a fort. Brean Down Fort was a Victorian naval fortification built in the 1860s and designed to protect the Bristol Channel against a possible Napoleonic invasion. The fort is one of the "Palmerston Forts" which were built in several locations round the coast following a Royal Commission report about the defence of the United Kingdom prompted by concerns about the strength of the French navy. The name comes from Lord Palmerston who was Prime Minister at the time and promoted their construction.
Some of the fort's buildings like the officers quarters and barrack block survive as do the gun emplacements. The fort was originally armed with seven 7 inch guns in three gun positions although the fort never saw any action apart from gunnery practise.
The end of the fort's operational life came to a sudden and dramatic end on the 6th of July 1900 when a soldier named Gunner Haines fired his rifle down the ventilation shaft of no 3 magazine. The magazine at the time contained three tons of gunpowder and the resultant huge explosion caused massive damage to the fort and as a result the fort was closed down. No one really knows why Gunner Haines did this because he did not survive to explain his action.
With the start of the second world war the fort was rearmed with two 6 inch naval guns and searchlight batteries and was used as a testing site for experimental secret weapons. The foundations of the second world war barracks can be seen outside the fort.
During the 1980s and 90s the original buildings were renovated and made safe so that people could visit the fort in safety. The fort is now in the care of the National Trust.
A general view of the fort and its location.
The barrack block.
Inside the barrack block. Nothing survives of the original interior except a fireplace at one end.
A world war two gun emplacement. The ammunition for the gun would have been stored in the compartments under the emplacement and along the side wall.
The original 1870s gun emplacement and ammunition store.
The officer's quarters. This is the most well preserved building on the fort and still has its interior walls, sadly it is not open to the public.
Thank you for reading this blog entry, I hope you enjoyed it and found it interesting.
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