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 is now derelict and under private ownership, and has been a Grade II listed building since September 1978.
History
Original design for fort and laying of foundations (1859-67)
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 new harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed. The Breakwater Fort was positioned to defend the open water between the outer breakwater arm and Weymouth to the north, in partnership with the Nothe Fort.
The original design for the fort was produced in 1859 by Captain E. H. Steward of the Royal Engineers and depicted a casemated tower of stone with 34 guns installed over three levels. It was described as such by The Times in 1861: "This will really be a most formidable work, mounting 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, with 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. Construction continued according to this design and work commenced on a ring of masonry lying on top of the foundations in December 1862. However, work was halted in 1864 after unprecedented subsidence 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, and 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 on the fort. Further signs of damage to the fort's masonry was discovered in early 1867, following a period of storms.
Revised plans for the fort, new construction works and armament (1867-84)
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 of 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 and the third 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 and 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 occur, but despite some cracks in the foundations, movement had almost ceased by 1878. The Breakwater Fort was completed that year for an estimated cost of £202,658.
The fort's original armament was made up of fourteen rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 12.5-inch 38-ton 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 and all fourteen were in place by 1884. Steam power for the working of the guns was installed in 1884 at a cost of £8,000. 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 had a range of eight nautical miles in clear weather.
Operational use in the late 19th century and early 20th century
By the time of its completion, the Breakwater Fort and its armament was obsolete. As naval warfare continued to advance at an unprecedented rate, RML guns were superseded by breech-loading (BL) and quick-firing (QF) guns, and a range of new technology was available for coastal defence including searchlights, and range-finding and telephonic equipment. The 1890s and early 20th century saw the fort undergo modernisation in the effort to provide better defence for the harbour. During the 1890s, the fort's exterior was painted with a black and white chequer pattern, which was designed to make it difficult for an enemy to distinguish the gun ports. This provided the fort with its alternative name, Chequered Fort.
By 1895, the fort had been reduced to seven of its original 12.5-inch RMLs. It had also received two 6-pounder QF guns by this time for defence against the rising new threat of torpedo boats, although they were removed soon after. In 1898, two 12-pounder QF guns were installed on the jetty, followed by two defence electric lights in 1899. By 1903, an additional four 12-pounder QF guns had been installed on the fort's roof and the remaining RMLs reduced from seven to four. Three maxim guns had also been mounted; one on the jetty and two on the fort's roof. The same period saw new ancillary buildings erected around the fort, including two temporary huts for the garrison, a barrack room with latrines, and an engine and dynamo room to power the electric lights.
Owing to concerns over the vulnerability of Portland Harbour to torpedo boat attack, a further two breakwater arms were constructed between 1895 and 1905 to fully enclose the harbour. In addition to the Breakwater Fort, other existing defences for the harbour were also modernised and new batteries added during this period. The new Pier Head Batteries (A, B and C Pier Heads) were fortified with their own QF guns, with A Pier Head being located on the other side of the east ship channel from the Breakwater Fort. With the completion of the new breakwaters and the erection of the Breakwater Lighthouse on A Pier Head, the Breakwater Fort's navigational light was replaced with a small subsidiary red light installed on the north-west part of the fort's roof in 1905.
In 1905, the War Office proposed installing four BL 6-inch Mk VII naval guns at the Breakwater Fort, two on the roof and two at original gun floor level. This was amended in 1907, with the two guns intended for the gun floor level to be sited at B and C Pier Heads instead. The last of the fort's RMLs were removed in 1907-08, the barrels being salvaged for their steel and the rest of them discarded in a pile on the breakwater arm. The two BL guns were transferred from Blacknor Battery in 1908 and installed in newly-built emplacements on the roof in 1909, thereby replacing the four QF guns. Each BL gun was served by three compartments at magazine level, and new band and ladder lifts between them and guns were installed. A battery command post was built behind the two emplacements.
In 1914, an anti-aircraft electric light was installed at the end of the fort's ancillary buildings along the breakwater arm. In 1915, it was moved into a new emplacement on the roof of the fort's largest oil store. The two QF guns on the jetty were removed in the 1920s.
Use during World War II
Leading up to World War II, HM Naval Base Portland was considered as a base for the Examination Service, which was responsible for checking neutral merchant ships passing through the English Channel and ensuring their cargoes would not be of use to the enemy. In order to check the area's suitability, the Nothe Fort, along with other local forts and batteries, carried out exercises with their artillery. When war erupted, the proposed base was established at Portland, with the Breakwater Fort becoming the main examining battery and the Nothe Fort providing a supporting role.
The Breakwater Fort also continued its original function as a coastal defence and was manned by 104 Battery of 522 Coast Regiment. Canopies were erected over the two BL guns, one of concrete, and the other of iron and concrete. In addition to the BL guns, the fort was recorded as having a Bofors 40mm gun in place by 1943.
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.
In 2005, BBC Spotlight's Jonathan Hudston was given an exclusive tour of the fort by the Portland Harbour Authority. At the time, an estimated £10 million was believed to be required 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 gun floor was designed for 14 heavy guns and also provided the original accommodation space for the garrison and some stores. Below is the magazine level which contained a number of shell and cartridge stores, as well as other facilities including water storage tanks, engine rooms and stores. The two levels of the fort are connected by a spiral cast-iron staircase.
The fort has its own small L-shaped jetty. Many of the ancillary barrack and service buildings surviving around the fort and along the breakwater arm date from the early 20th century to World War II. Some of these buildings provided upgraded accommodation, shelters and facilities for the garrison, as well as further stores and an engine room. The Admiralty also had buildings for operating the harbour's boom defences and storing its equipment. The surviving buildings on the jetty includes two electric light emplacements (both dating to 1899), a smith's shop (later used as a guard room), stores, ablutions and latrines.
Condition
The fort has remained derelict since being handed over to the Royal Navy in 1956. In their 1993 report on the naval base and its history, the historic buildings consultants Keystone reported that the inside of the fort was generally damp with a "series of apparently minor leaks". Some of the buildings spanning the breakwater arm were also noted to be in a "poor state of repair". Much of the fort interior's metalwork has suffered from rusting.
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
History
Original design for fort and laying of foundations (1859-67)
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 new harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed. The Breakwater Fort was positioned to defend the open water between the outer breakwater arm and Weymouth to the north, in partnership with the Nothe Fort.
The original design for the fort was produced in 1859 by Captain E. H. Steward of the Royal Engineers and depicted a casemated tower of stone with 34 guns installed over three levels. It was described as such by The Times in 1861: "This will really be a most formidable work, mounting 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, with 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. Construction continued according to this design and work commenced on a ring of masonry lying on top of the foundations in December 1862. However, work was halted in 1864 after unprecedented subsidence 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, and 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 on the fort. Further signs of damage to the fort's masonry was discovered in early 1867, following a period of storms.
Revised plans for the fort, new construction works and armament (1867-84)
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 of 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 and the third 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 and 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 occur, but despite some cracks in the foundations, movement had almost ceased by 1878. The Breakwater Fort was completed that year for an estimated cost of £202,658.
The fort's original armament was made up of fourteen rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 12.5-inch 38-ton 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 and all fourteen were in place by 1884. Steam power for the working of the guns was installed in 1884 at a cost of £8,000. 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 had a range of eight nautical miles in clear weather.
Operational use in the late 19th century and early 20th century
By the time of its completion, the Breakwater Fort and its armament was obsolete. As naval warfare continued to advance at an unprecedented rate, RML guns were superseded by breech-loading (BL) and quick-firing (QF) guns, and a range of new technology was available for coastal defence including searchlights, and range-finding and telephonic equipment. The 1890s and early 20th century saw the fort undergo modernisation in the effort to provide better defence for the harbour. During the 1890s, the fort's exterior was painted with a black and white chequer pattern, which was designed to make it difficult for an enemy to distinguish the gun ports. This provided the fort with its alternative name, Chequered Fort.
By 1895, the fort had been reduced to seven of its original 12.5-inch RMLs. It had also received two 6-pounder QF guns by this time for defence against the rising new threat of torpedo boats, although they were removed soon after. In 1898, two 12-pounder QF guns were installed on the jetty, followed by two defence electric lights in 1899. By 1903, an additional four 12-pounder QF guns had been installed on the fort's roof and the remaining RMLs reduced from seven to four. Three maxim guns had also been mounted; one on the jetty and two on the fort's roof. The same period saw new ancillary buildings erected around the fort, including two temporary huts for the garrison, a barrack room with latrines, and an engine and dynamo room to power the electric lights.
Owing to concerns over the vulnerability of Portland Harbour to torpedo boat attack, a further two breakwater arms were constructed between 1895 and 1905 to fully enclose the harbour. In addition to the Breakwater Fort, other existing defences for the harbour were also modernised and new batteries added during this period. The new Pier Head Batteries (A, B and C Pier Heads) were fortified with their own QF guns, with A Pier Head being located on the other side of the east ship channel from the Breakwater Fort. With the completion of the new breakwaters and the erection of the Breakwater Lighthouse on A Pier Head, the Breakwater Fort's navigational light was replaced with a small subsidiary red light installed on the north-west part of the fort's roof in 1905.
In 1905, the War Office proposed installing four BL 6-inch Mk VII naval guns at the Breakwater Fort, two on the roof and two at original gun floor level. This was amended in 1907, with the two guns intended for the gun floor level to be sited at B and C Pier Heads instead. The last of the fort's RMLs were removed in 1907-08, the barrels being salvaged for their steel and the rest of them discarded in a pile on the breakwater arm. The two BL guns were transferred from Blacknor Battery in 1908 and installed in newly-built emplacements on the roof in 1909, thereby replacing the four QF guns. Each BL gun was served by three compartments at magazine level, and new band and ladder lifts between them and guns were installed. A battery command post was built behind the two emplacements.
In 1914, an anti-aircraft electric light was installed at the end of the fort's ancillary buildings along the breakwater arm. In 1915, it was moved into a new emplacement on the roof of the fort's largest oil store. The two QF guns on the jetty were removed in the 1920s.
Use during World War II
Leading up to World War II, HM Naval Base Portland was considered as a base for the Examination Service, which was responsible for checking neutral merchant ships passing through the English Channel and ensuring their cargoes would not be of use to the enemy. In order to check the area's suitability, the Nothe Fort, along with other local forts and batteries, carried out exercises with their artillery. When war erupted, the proposed base was established at Portland, with the Breakwater Fort becoming the main examining battery and the Nothe Fort providing a supporting role.
The Breakwater Fort also continued its original function as a coastal defence and was manned by 104 Battery of 522 Coast Regiment. Canopies were erected over the two BL guns, one of concrete, and the other of iron and concrete. In addition to the BL guns, the fort was recorded as having a Bofors 40mm gun in place by 1943.
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.
In 2005, BBC Spotlight's Jonathan Hudston was given an exclusive tour of the fort by the Portland Harbour Authority. At the time, an estimated £10 million was believed to be required 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 gun floor was designed for 14 heavy guns and also provided the original accommodation space for the garrison and some stores. Below is the magazine level which contained a number of shell and cartridge stores, as well as other facilities including water storage tanks, engine rooms and stores. The two levels of the fort are connected by a spiral cast-iron staircase.
The fort has its own small L-shaped jetty. Many of the ancillary barrack and service buildings surviving around the fort and along the breakwater arm date from the early 20th century to World War II. Some of these buildings provided upgraded accommodation, shelters and facilities for the garrison, as well as further stores and an engine room. The Admiralty also had buildings for operating the harbour's boom defences and storing its equipment. The surviving buildings on the jetty includes two electric light emplacements (both dating to 1899), a smith's shop (later used as a guard room), stores, ablutions and latrines.
Condition
The fort has remained derelict since being handed over to the Royal Navy in 1956. In their 1993 report on the naval base and its history, the historic buildings consultants Keystone reported that the inside of the fort was generally damp with a "series of apparently minor leaks". Some of the buildings spanning the breakwater arm were also noted to be in a "poor state of repair". Much of the fort interior's metalwork has suffered from rusting.
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.
