Breakwater Fort
Breakwater Fort, also known as Chequered Fort, is a 19th century fort, at the north end of the outer breakwater of Portland Harbour, approximately 1.5 miles from land. Built to defend the harbour, the fort was constructed between 1868 and 1878, although work on the original design of the fort had commenced in 1860. The fort, now derelict and on private property, has been a Grade II listed building since September 1978.
In addition to its defensive role, an oil lamp, with fog signals, was installed on top of the fort in 1875 by the Admiralty to serve as a navigational aid for shipping entering the harbour. It was later replaced when the Breakwater Lighthouse was erected in 1905 on the north-eastern breakwater at A-Head.
History
Construction of original planned fort (1859-65)
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans for the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge with the building of two breakwater arms. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed, which included the Breakwater Fort.
The original design for the fort, produced in 1859 by Captain E. H. Steward of the Royal Engineers, depicted a casemated tower of stone with 34 guns installed over three levels. It was described as such by The Times in 1861: "On the north end of the breakwater will be a huge fort. This will really be a most formidable work, mounting 60 of the heaviest guns. It is to be circular, 200ft in diameter, and, as it stands in 11 fathoms water, and will rise 60ft above the sea, the estimated four years required to complete its masonry seems very moderate. Up to six feet above the sea it will be a monstrous column of almost solid granite. There are to be two tiers of casemated batteries mounting 22 guns each, with 16 traversing pivot guns on the summit mounted en barbette. The roof of this will be bomb-proof; there are to be ample store and magazine rooms in it, with quarters for a large garrison."
Once surveying of the proposed site was completed, work began on the fort's foundations, which was carried out by the breakwater contractor John Leather, and supervised and directed by the engineer-in-chief John Coode on behalf of the Admiralty. Circular timber staging was erected on piles to allow stone and rubble to be dropped onto the seabed. As Coode had anticipated, some settlement was recorded early into the works, although no remedial work was carried out and the laying of the foundations continued.
In 1861, the fort's design was altered so that it could carry 35 guns on two tiers, with one of the proposed levels being removed. Construction continued according to this design and in December 1862, work commenced on a ring of masonry lying on top of the foundations. However, work was halted in 1864 after unprecedented subsidence had occurred in the foundations, with cracks appearing in the existing masonry work. The movement and damage was attributed to the gales of October 1864, along with "the yielding of the clay or the strata" on the seabed.
In 1865, some of the masonry work was removed and other parts altered, rebuilt or repaired, while by the end of the year, it had reached around 20 feet above low water mark. Efforts were also made to counter and deter further subsidence by dumping an additional 15,000 tons of rubble onto the seabed, although uncertainty regarding the stability of the foundations remained and resulted in little progress of the fort. In early 1867, further signs of damage to the fort's masonry was discovered, following a period of storms.
Revised plans for the fort and new construction works (1867-78)
As a result of technological advances in warfare and weaponry, new plans for the fort's superstructure were forwarded in 1867, with it now set to have an iron-plated design. By the time the War Department took over construction work on the fort in May 1868, the ring of masonry lying on top of the foundations was 12 feet above high water mark. As the new plans resulted in a smaller fort, the centre of the original foundations was removed and replaced by a cylinder of concrete, 10 feet thick, in 1868-69. Although higher levels of subsidence had been seen for a period during 1868-69, only insignificant amounts of movement were recorded thereafter.
Further new proposals for the fort's design were forwarded in 1869. One suggested a two-tiered iron fort containing 29 guns, another proposed a one-tiered iron fort of 14 guns, while a third plan suggested a defence containing four turrets for 8 guns. While the proposal for the two-tiered fort was selected, the suggested armament went on to be modified in 1870 due to fears of new subsidence. Rather than being installed with 14 guns on the lower tier and 15 on the upper, the fort's upper tier was now to be installed with only 7 guns. Although the fort's construction was largely based on this design, some alterations were later made, most notably the abandonment of the upper tier.
The fort's iron skeleton, supplied by Jeavons & Co. of Millwall, was added in 1873. The two-hundred tons of armour plating arrived in December 1875, supplied by Messrs. Brown of Sheffield. The weight of the iron and armour plating caused some new subsidence to temporarily occur, and despite some cracks in the foundations, movement had almost ceased by 1878. The breakwater fort was completed that year and had cost an estimated £202,658 to build.
The fort's original armament was made up of fourteen 12.5-inch RML guns, which were evenly distributed to avoid causing excess pressure on the foundations. The Southern Times reported the delivery of some guns for the fort in October 1875, while all fourteen were in place by the early 1880s. The guns were later powered, supplied with ammunition and operated using a steam engine, installed in 1884 for a cost of £8,000.
Operational use from the late 19th century and during both World Wars
By 1895, the fort had been reduced to seven of its original 12.5-inch RMLs, while two 6-pounder QF guns had been installed. That same decade saw the fort painted with black and red chequers, giving it the alternative name Chequered Fort. In 1900, the armament was made up of four 12.5 inch RMLs, six 12pdr QF guns and three machine guns. By 1905, electric lights (searchlights) had been installed at the fort and along the outer breakwater arm.
Later in 1907, plans were made to update the fort's armament again. The last of the RMLs were removed, parts of which were cut up and left in pieces on the breakwater arm. Two 6-inch BL guns were placed on the roof of the fort by May 1908, which had been relocated from Blacknor Battery, and the QF guns were later removed in 1920.
During World War II, the fort was manned by 104 Battery of 522 Coast Regiment, while in 1940-41, it was also commissioned as an examination battery. In addition to its two BL guns, the fort was recorded as having a 40mm bofors gun in place by 1943. The fort was reduced to care and maintenance by February 1945.
Decommissioning of fort and abandonment
Like other forts and military defence installations of its type across the UK, the fort was decommissioned as a coastal defence in 1956, and its remaining guns, which had been in storage, were removed the following year. The fort was then handed over to the Royal Navy, but remained largely unused. With the closure of HM Naval Base Portland in 1996, the harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd, who transformed it into a commercial port. During 1995, it was announced that the Dorset Sculpture Trust were attempting to obtain a grant from the Millennium Fund to transform the fort into an arts centre, but the project never came to fruition.
Later in 2005, BBC Spotlight's Jonathan Hudston was given an exclusive tour of the fort by the Portland Harbour Authority. In the resulting article, it was reported that approximately £10 million would be needed to transform the fort for commercial use or as a tourist attraction. However, Rupert Best of Portland Port revealed the port had no plans to undertake such a project: "It's not something we're putting our resources into because we have other parts of the port which we want to develop, but we're certainly open to suggestions and if anyone wants to come and talk to us about it with a good idea, we're certainly very receptive."
Design
The fort has a 35 metre diameter iron core with a 61 metre diameter foundation around 9 metres below sea level. A ring of masonry is capped with concrete as the fort's substructure, around 7 metres above sea level. The walls are three thicknesses of 15cm plate backed by armour bars. The concrete-capped iron roof was designed to support two iron turrets for two guns each, but these were not installed. The main floor consists of gun rooms and ports for 14 heavy guns. Below the gunfloor are various passages, shell and cartridge stores and engine rooms to provide power for the guns. The two levels of the fort are connected by a spiral cast-iron staircase.
The fort has its own small L-shaped jetty and also holds an officers' quarters and inner court. Ancillary barrack and service buildings erected around the fort and along the breakwater arm date from the early 20th century. The original accommodation for the gun crews was alongside their guns, but these later buildings provided upgraded accommodation and included a sergeant's mess, cookhouse, latrines, stores and an engine room. A number of World War II constructions were later added around the fort, including a spigot mortar emplacement, pillbox and battery observation post.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC Dorset - Local History - Breakwater Fort - website page
2) ecastles.co.uk - Castles and Fortifications of England & Wales - Portland Breakwater Fort - website page
3) English Heritage - The National Heritage List for England - Breakwater Fort, Portland Harbour - website page
4) Jurassic Agent - The Jurassic Coast: Breakwater Fort - Super User - website page
5) Jurassic Agent - The Jurassic Coast: Breakwater Fort Construction - Super User - website page
6) Pastscape - Breakwater Fort - website page
7) Pastscape - Monument No. 1420411 - website page
8) Pastscape - Monument No. 1421432 - website page
9) Pastscape - Monument No. 1425479 - website page
10) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 44-51
11) Report of the Committee appointed to enquire into the construction, condition, and cost of the fortifications, erected, or in course of erection, under 30th & 31st vict., and previous statutes - 1869 - report
12) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
13) SouthEast Defence Photos - Breakwater Fort, Portland: 12 inch R.M.L. remains - website page
14) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
15) The Independent - Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails - Will Bennet - July 1995 - website page
16) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
17) View from Online - Weymouth: New live timewalk attraction planned for Chequered Fort - Harry Walton - August 2011 - website page
18) Victorian Forts - Portland Breakwater Fort - PDF document
19) World War Two Coastal Batteries - Michael J. Anderton - 2000 - page 70 - book
In addition to its defensive role, an oil lamp, with fog signals, was installed on top of the fort in 1875 by the Admiralty to serve as a navigational aid for shipping entering the harbour. It was later replaced when the Breakwater Lighthouse was erected in 1905 on the north-eastern breakwater at A-Head.
History
Construction of original planned fort (1859-65)
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans for the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge with the building of two breakwater arms. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed, which included the Breakwater Fort.
The original design for the fort, produced in 1859 by Captain E. H. Steward of the Royal Engineers, depicted a casemated tower of stone with 34 guns installed over three levels. It was described as such by The Times in 1861: "On the north end of the breakwater will be a huge fort. This will really be a most formidable work, mounting 60 of the heaviest guns. It is to be circular, 200ft in diameter, and, as it stands in 11 fathoms water, and will rise 60ft above the sea, the estimated four years required to complete its masonry seems very moderate. Up to six feet above the sea it will be a monstrous column of almost solid granite. There are to be two tiers of casemated batteries mounting 22 guns each, with 16 traversing pivot guns on the summit mounted en barbette. The roof of this will be bomb-proof; there are to be ample store and magazine rooms in it, with quarters for a large garrison."
Once surveying of the proposed site was completed, work began on the fort's foundations, which was carried out by the breakwater contractor John Leather, and supervised and directed by the engineer-in-chief John Coode on behalf of the Admiralty. Circular timber staging was erected on piles to allow stone and rubble to be dropped onto the seabed. As Coode had anticipated, some settlement was recorded early into the works, although no remedial work was carried out and the laying of the foundations continued.
In 1861, the fort's design was altered so that it could carry 35 guns on two tiers, with one of the proposed levels being removed. Construction continued according to this design and in December 1862, work commenced on a ring of masonry lying on top of the foundations. However, work was halted in 1864 after unprecedented subsidence had occurred in the foundations, with cracks appearing in the existing masonry work. The movement and damage was attributed to the gales of October 1864, along with "the yielding of the clay or the strata" on the seabed.
In 1865, some of the masonry work was removed and other parts altered, rebuilt or repaired, while by the end of the year, it had reached around 20 feet above low water mark. Efforts were also made to counter and deter further subsidence by dumping an additional 15,000 tons of rubble onto the seabed, although uncertainty regarding the stability of the foundations remained and resulted in little progress of the fort. In early 1867, further signs of damage to the fort's masonry was discovered, following a period of storms.
Revised plans for the fort and new construction works (1867-78)
As a result of technological advances in warfare and weaponry, new plans for the fort's superstructure were forwarded in 1867, with it now set to have an iron-plated design. By the time the War Department took over construction work on the fort in May 1868, the ring of masonry lying on top of the foundations was 12 feet above high water mark. As the new plans resulted in a smaller fort, the centre of the original foundations was removed and replaced by a cylinder of concrete, 10 feet thick, in 1868-69. Although higher levels of subsidence had been seen for a period during 1868-69, only insignificant amounts of movement were recorded thereafter.
Further new proposals for the fort's design were forwarded in 1869. One suggested a two-tiered iron fort containing 29 guns, another proposed a one-tiered iron fort of 14 guns, while a third plan suggested a defence containing four turrets for 8 guns. While the proposal for the two-tiered fort was selected, the suggested armament went on to be modified in 1870 due to fears of new subsidence. Rather than being installed with 14 guns on the lower tier and 15 on the upper, the fort's upper tier was now to be installed with only 7 guns. Although the fort's construction was largely based on this design, some alterations were later made, most notably the abandonment of the upper tier.
The fort's iron skeleton, supplied by Jeavons & Co. of Millwall, was added in 1873. The two-hundred tons of armour plating arrived in December 1875, supplied by Messrs. Brown of Sheffield. The weight of the iron and armour plating caused some new subsidence to temporarily occur, and despite some cracks in the foundations, movement had almost ceased by 1878. The breakwater fort was completed that year and had cost an estimated £202,658 to build.
The fort's original armament was made up of fourteen 12.5-inch RML guns, which were evenly distributed to avoid causing excess pressure on the foundations. The Southern Times reported the delivery of some guns for the fort in October 1875, while all fourteen were in place by the early 1880s. The guns were later powered, supplied with ammunition and operated using a steam engine, installed in 1884 for a cost of £8,000.
Operational use from the late 19th century and during both World Wars
By 1895, the fort had been reduced to seven of its original 12.5-inch RMLs, while two 6-pounder QF guns had been installed. That same decade saw the fort painted with black and red chequers, giving it the alternative name Chequered Fort. In 1900, the armament was made up of four 12.5 inch RMLs, six 12pdr QF guns and three machine guns. By 1905, electric lights (searchlights) had been installed at the fort and along the outer breakwater arm.
Later in 1907, plans were made to update the fort's armament again. The last of the RMLs were removed, parts of which were cut up and left in pieces on the breakwater arm. Two 6-inch BL guns were placed on the roof of the fort by May 1908, which had been relocated from Blacknor Battery, and the QF guns were later removed in 1920.
During World War II, the fort was manned by 104 Battery of 522 Coast Regiment, while in 1940-41, it was also commissioned as an examination battery. In addition to its two BL guns, the fort was recorded as having a 40mm bofors gun in place by 1943. The fort was reduced to care and maintenance by February 1945.
Decommissioning of fort and abandonment
Like other forts and military defence installations of its type across the UK, the fort was decommissioned as a coastal defence in 1956, and its remaining guns, which had been in storage, were removed the following year. The fort was then handed over to the Royal Navy, but remained largely unused. With the closure of HM Naval Base Portland in 1996, the harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd, who transformed it into a commercial port. During 1995, it was announced that the Dorset Sculpture Trust were attempting to obtain a grant from the Millennium Fund to transform the fort into an arts centre, but the project never came to fruition.
Later in 2005, BBC Spotlight's Jonathan Hudston was given an exclusive tour of the fort by the Portland Harbour Authority. In the resulting article, it was reported that approximately £10 million would be needed to transform the fort for commercial use or as a tourist attraction. However, Rupert Best of Portland Port revealed the port had no plans to undertake such a project: "It's not something we're putting our resources into because we have other parts of the port which we want to develop, but we're certainly open to suggestions and if anyone wants to come and talk to us about it with a good idea, we're certainly very receptive."
Design
The fort has a 35 metre diameter iron core with a 61 metre diameter foundation around 9 metres below sea level. A ring of masonry is capped with concrete as the fort's substructure, around 7 metres above sea level. The walls are three thicknesses of 15cm plate backed by armour bars. The concrete-capped iron roof was designed to support two iron turrets for two guns each, but these were not installed. The main floor consists of gun rooms and ports for 14 heavy guns. Below the gunfloor are various passages, shell and cartridge stores and engine rooms to provide power for the guns. The two levels of the fort are connected by a spiral cast-iron staircase.
The fort has its own small L-shaped jetty and also holds an officers' quarters and inner court. Ancillary barrack and service buildings erected around the fort and along the breakwater arm date from the early 20th century. The original accommodation for the gun crews was alongside their guns, but these later buildings provided upgraded accommodation and included a sergeant's mess, cookhouse, latrines, stores and an engine room. A number of World War II constructions were later added around the fort, including a spigot mortar emplacement, pillbox and battery observation post.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC Dorset - Local History - Breakwater Fort - website page
2) ecastles.co.uk - Castles and Fortifications of England & Wales - Portland Breakwater Fort - website page
3) English Heritage - The National Heritage List for England - Breakwater Fort, Portland Harbour - website page
4) Jurassic Agent - The Jurassic Coast: Breakwater Fort - Super User - website page
5) Jurassic Agent - The Jurassic Coast: Breakwater Fort Construction - Super User - website page
6) Pastscape - Breakwater Fort - website page
7) Pastscape - Monument No. 1420411 - website page
8) Pastscape - Monument No. 1421432 - website page
9) Pastscape - Monument No. 1425479 - website page
10) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 44-51
11) Report of the Committee appointed to enquire into the construction, condition, and cost of the fortifications, erected, or in course of erection, under 30th & 31st vict., and previous statutes - 1869 - report
12) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
13) SouthEast Defence Photos - Breakwater Fort, Portland: 12 inch R.M.L. remains - website page
14) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
15) The Independent - Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails - Will Bennet - July 1995 - website page
16) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
17) View from Online - Weymouth: New live timewalk attraction planned for Chequered Fort - Harry Walton - August 2011 - website page
18) Victorian Forts - Portland Breakwater Fort - PDF document
19) World War Two Coastal Batteries - Michael J. Anderton - 2000 - page 70 - book
Gallery
These images can be enlarged by clicking on them. Some images have information attached to them, and to view this you can either enlarge the image or hover the mouse over each thumbnail.
Photographs of the fort both exterior and interior can be seen on The Urban Explorer website by clicking here.
More can be seen at Andrew Blackmore's photography website by clicking here.
Photographs of the fort both exterior and interior can be seen on The Urban Explorer website by clicking here.
More can be seen at Andrew Blackmore's photography website by clicking here.
