Inner Pier Head Fort
Inner Pier Head Fort is a mid-19th century fort at the end of the inner breakwater of Portland Harbour, which it was built to protect. It was constructed between 1860-62 and is 114ft in diameter. The inner breakwater has been a Grade II listed monument since September 1978 and this includes the fort.
History
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans to transform 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, including the Inner Pier Head Fort, which was built to protect the south ship channel.
Designed in 1859, construction of the fort commenced in 1860 and was carried out by the Admiralty. Cornish granite was used on the south (seaward) side, and Portland roach on the north (inner harbour) side. The cross-plan basement level, which contained the magazines and shelter for the troops, was accessed by a staircase from the centre of the gun floor. Work was progressing well in 1861, with the Building News and Engineering Journal reporting: "The arched compartments under the platform [have] been completed and the concrete covering brought into a forward state; the granite face and parapet on the sea side had been commenced, and the greater part of the granite delivered on the works, dressed and ready for setting." That same year saw The Times describe the fort as a being of "immense solidity", adding: "It is crenellated for musketry, and carries besides eight guns of the heaviest calibre."
The fort was completed in 1862 for a cost of £10,667 and was then handed over to the War Office, who armed it with four 68-pounder guns and four ML 8-inch shell guns of 65 cwt. Soon after its completion, the fort suffered from minor structural issues and settlement. While some of the work was remedied, the fort also displayed a number of operational issues such as the lack of lighting and safety in the transporting of shells from the magazine. Following an inspection, CRE, Lt. Colonel Edward Belfield concluded in an 1868 report that the fort required "very considerable alterations" in order for it to become an effective defensive installation. An 1869 Commissioner report elaborated further: "From its construction being entirely in masonry, [the fort] is not calculated to be of much use against iron-clad ships, and the magazine arrangements are defective. A re-arrangement and improvement of the whole work would be necessary to fit it to receive the heavier armament required to give that valuable support to the defence which its position is well calculated to afford." Alteration work commenced in the 1870s and was completed by 1878.
In 1872, it was recommended that the fort's armament be replaced with eight 64-pounder RMLs and by 1878, the armament was made up of seven 64-pounder RMLs of 58 cwt and one 64-pounder RML of 64 cwt, all of which were converted from smoothbores. In 1886, recommendations were put forward for the removal of four of the guns and the remainder to be retained for practice use only. The removal of the four guns was carried out in c. 1890 but the remained continued to be classed as the approved armament. By 1895, their role was reduced to drill and practice only and they were finally removed in c. 1897.
In 1895, proposals were made for the installation of two 12-pounder quick-firing guns and a Maxim machine gun at the fort. The same armament was installed on a number of dolphins (structures of timber and iron) guarding the northern region of the harbour in 1894-95, and primarily served to defend against torpedo boats. The £1,411 modernisation scheme for their installation at the fort was carried out in 1897-99. A concrete glacis was formed on the fort's seaward side and ammunition hoists installed in the magazine, while some of the vaulted chambers along the inner breakwater were transformed into shelters and a cookhouse for the garrison. To provide additional protection to the fort and its magazine level, one and a half compartments at magazine level were infilled with rubble on the seaward side.
During World War I, both of the fort's QF guns and their carriages were temporarily withdrawn but ultimately never returned. Like many forts and military defence installations of its type across the UK, the Inner Pier Head Fort was decommissioned as a coastal defence in 1956. The fort has remained derelict from this time, and up until the departure of the Royal Navy in 1995, a sign attached to the outside of the fort warned to naval personnel: "Dangerous area out of bounds to all personnel". In 1996, the former naval base was sold to Portland Port Ltd, who then transformed the harbour into a commercial port. Although an article in The Independent revealed that the new owners had ideas for the potential renovation of historic fortifications in the area, this has not materialised for any of the port-owned historic sites, including the Inner Pier Head Fort.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Google books - The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 7 - 1861 - book
2) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - The inner and outer breakwater, including the coaling shed, storehouse jetty, coaling jetty, inner breakwater fort and outer breakwater fort - website page
3) Military Dorset Today: Second World War Scenes and Settings That Can Still Be Seen 50 Years On - Colin A. Pomeroy - Silver Link Publishing Ltd. - 1995 - ISBN: 978-1857940770 - page 21 - book
4) Pastscape - Inner Pier Head Fort - website page
5) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 101 - book
6) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 44-45
7) 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
8) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
9) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
10) The Independent - Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails - Will Bennet - July 1995 - website page
11) The National Archives - Weymouth and Portland Area - Portland: Inner Pier Head Fort - WO 78/5086 - declassified plans and drawings - 1904, 1915 - website page
12) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
13) The Rise and Fall of Portland Naval Base 1845-1995 - Geoffrey Carter - 1998 - report
History
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans to transform 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, including the Inner Pier Head Fort, which was built to protect the south ship channel.
Designed in 1859, construction of the fort commenced in 1860 and was carried out by the Admiralty. Cornish granite was used on the south (seaward) side, and Portland roach on the north (inner harbour) side. The cross-plan basement level, which contained the magazines and shelter for the troops, was accessed by a staircase from the centre of the gun floor. Work was progressing well in 1861, with the Building News and Engineering Journal reporting: "The arched compartments under the platform [have] been completed and the concrete covering brought into a forward state; the granite face and parapet on the sea side had been commenced, and the greater part of the granite delivered on the works, dressed and ready for setting." That same year saw The Times describe the fort as a being of "immense solidity", adding: "It is crenellated for musketry, and carries besides eight guns of the heaviest calibre."
The fort was completed in 1862 for a cost of £10,667 and was then handed over to the War Office, who armed it with four 68-pounder guns and four ML 8-inch shell guns of 65 cwt. Soon after its completion, the fort suffered from minor structural issues and settlement. While some of the work was remedied, the fort also displayed a number of operational issues such as the lack of lighting and safety in the transporting of shells from the magazine. Following an inspection, CRE, Lt. Colonel Edward Belfield concluded in an 1868 report that the fort required "very considerable alterations" in order for it to become an effective defensive installation. An 1869 Commissioner report elaborated further: "From its construction being entirely in masonry, [the fort] is not calculated to be of much use against iron-clad ships, and the magazine arrangements are defective. A re-arrangement and improvement of the whole work would be necessary to fit it to receive the heavier armament required to give that valuable support to the defence which its position is well calculated to afford." Alteration work commenced in the 1870s and was completed by 1878.
In 1872, it was recommended that the fort's armament be replaced with eight 64-pounder RMLs and by 1878, the armament was made up of seven 64-pounder RMLs of 58 cwt and one 64-pounder RML of 64 cwt, all of which were converted from smoothbores. In 1886, recommendations were put forward for the removal of four of the guns and the remainder to be retained for practice use only. The removal of the four guns was carried out in c. 1890 but the remained continued to be classed as the approved armament. By 1895, their role was reduced to drill and practice only and they were finally removed in c. 1897.
In 1895, proposals were made for the installation of two 12-pounder quick-firing guns and a Maxim machine gun at the fort. The same armament was installed on a number of dolphins (structures of timber and iron) guarding the northern region of the harbour in 1894-95, and primarily served to defend against torpedo boats. The £1,411 modernisation scheme for their installation at the fort was carried out in 1897-99. A concrete glacis was formed on the fort's seaward side and ammunition hoists installed in the magazine, while some of the vaulted chambers along the inner breakwater were transformed into shelters and a cookhouse for the garrison. To provide additional protection to the fort and its magazine level, one and a half compartments at magazine level were infilled with rubble on the seaward side.
During World War I, both of the fort's QF guns and their carriages were temporarily withdrawn but ultimately never returned. Like many forts and military defence installations of its type across the UK, the Inner Pier Head Fort was decommissioned as a coastal defence in 1956. The fort has remained derelict from this time, and up until the departure of the Royal Navy in 1995, a sign attached to the outside of the fort warned to naval personnel: "Dangerous area out of bounds to all personnel". In 1996, the former naval base was sold to Portland Port Ltd, who then transformed the harbour into a commercial port. Although an article in The Independent revealed that the new owners had ideas for the potential renovation of historic fortifications in the area, this has not materialised for any of the port-owned historic sites, including the Inner Pier Head Fort.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Google books - The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 7 - 1861 - book
2) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - The inner and outer breakwater, including the coaling shed, storehouse jetty, coaling jetty, inner breakwater fort and outer breakwater fort - website page
3) Military Dorset Today: Second World War Scenes and Settings That Can Still Be Seen 50 Years On - Colin A. Pomeroy - Silver Link Publishing Ltd. - 1995 - ISBN: 978-1857940770 - page 21 - book
4) Pastscape - Inner Pier Head Fort - website page
5) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 101 - book
6) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 44-45
7) 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
8) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
9) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
10) The Independent - Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails - Will Bennet - July 1995 - website page
11) The National Archives - Weymouth and Portland Area - Portland: Inner Pier Head Fort - WO 78/5086 - declassified plans and drawings - 1904, 1915 - website page
12) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
13) The Rise and Fall of Portland Naval Base 1845-1995 - Geoffrey Carter - 1998 - report
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.
Excellent photographs of the fort can seen at Andrew Blackmore's photography website by clicking here.
Excellent photographs of the fort can seen at Andrew Blackmore's photography website by clicking here.
