The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. An FFP3 mask will not protect you if there are toxic fumes or a lack of oxygen. Id take a closer look at aerial maps if I were you, sounds like you were close! didn't seem to be back-filled as they felt quite solid, but we came some Feel free to contact me if you have trouble. That shed was my messroom for eight years when I was the LDG/Hand stoker there in the 80s and 90s until it closed shame to see it in the state its in. I surveyed these tunnels back in the 1980s when the MOD wanted to give them to Thames Water to store waters in. The Barrack block walls were 4 5 feet thick with a thick reinforced concrete roof. spealogy, urban, speleology, military, fort, palmerston, folly, WWII,WW2, mod, MoD, ROC, Did you only try the 2 fronts or did you try one of the other 2? The Naval Fuel Bunker is not a hard place to find. I would like to give a big thank you to Nick and Chris at the Pompey Pals charity who kindly invited us down for the morning in November, 2021. Tunnel entrance? Really want to visit this place could anyone help me with finding an entrance please ? Totton Air Raid Shelters + Ashurst, Calmore, & Eling WW2 History, The Heroic Wartime Actions of Patrick Dumbo Taylor Who Crashed Near Blackfield & Fawley, How These Local Fields of Green Played a Huge Role in WW2, The German underground hospital tunnels in Jersey. stopped rounds. Please stop e-mailing me. PT after open, circa 1940s. Portsdown You could clearly see where the chalk had been dug out by hand tools in the 1860s, rather than using mechanised digging equipment. Can be done as just has. The sludge meant that they were unsuitable for alternative use. Jason Suthers. Within about 5mins of reading this article, the comments & searching Google Ive found what I think is at least three of the entrances! On October 2nd, 1925 the tunnel unexpectedly collapsed as a work train was passing through. Image of cow and pillbox taken at Taddiford Gap in Hampshire by Mel Port. Wymering Both tunnels have nine recesses with winch gear and (inaccessible) ladders, one assumes to get to an inspection platform on the storage tanks. Palmerston Forts. restoration work and its purpose verified. Having just had a look through your site and being born in Portchester and Found two entrances but all sealed up with metal doors any other ways in would be great to see inside done a few others but would like to get in here. Fort Nelson Fort Nelson, near Portsmouth, is home to the Royal Armouries' national collection of artillery and historic cannon - free admission. Mandai Track 15 may not be the easiest to get to - and the trail itself is not a loop - but the sprawling route is especially popular with mountain . Is there any more entrances any one has found? All are sealed. all over the face of the caponier shown in the background of the photo Police are currently at the scene of a serious collision on the B2177 Portsdown Hill Road, Portsmouth. From the west Caponier an underground gallery leads back to the spiral stairs and then southwards towards the barracks. Underground tunnels went from the Barrack block to the caponiers in the moat. SHARE. Is there anyone that can give me a postcode for this? Fort Southwick UGHQ low level access road]. These notions are not true, except for the fact that they are We are in desperate need of a Secretary who will be the central point of contact. I went to the top left one on top of hill. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. on the grass verge, you can guess our amazement when my friends front Our guide explained to use how the tunnels also had Cold War history during those decades and the fort was also taken over by Portsmouth Council in the 1970s. The Portsdown Hill Countryside Officer is based as Fort Widley, Portsdown Hill Road. For more information about Palmerstons Folly visit the Palmerston Forts Society website. SO23 8TH, Affiliated to the Family History Federation. Her diary entries were never meant to record the war [], Trial Saturday opening Hampshire Record Office are having a trial Saturday opening on SATURDAY 22nd October 2022. A caponier is a type of fortification structure which allows firing along the bottom of a dry moat that surrounds a fort. Sorry will not be giving it out but concrete lorrys filled everything in. In First World War it was used as a transit depot. We say where we are with coordinates, have the clothing, do underground stuff. archaeologist, in a tumulus during excavations on Portsdown Hill near Must have. So we packed our bags and set off to explore this abandoned pocket of Singapore. Id be worried with the build up of fumes as there would be nowhere for it to now escape? Each fort was designed as a self sufficient unit and connecting tunnels would photo site location. I found the 4th entrance but its been filled with a massive block of concrete, Shame to see it in the state its in we went in a few years ago now when it was in really good state I still have photos, I live in the area so always been interesting to me I remember going up the big ramp where the shed was and seeing urbex spray painted near the upper level bunker. Start photo slideshow. We went down last Sunday and no way in. centre. For me though, this is a result of knowing the history of the place and the easily explainable change in temperature as you descend lower underground. Tenure: Not available. Improve this listing All photos (52) Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more. Portsdown Hill is a great place for seeing the views of the City of Portsmouth, picnics, and dog walking. I have no idea how much The Fareham side is classified C371. Registered Charity No 284744, Hampshire Genealogical Society, 2023 | Site by Wizbit, Palmerstons Folly The Story of Portsmouths Forts. Our Fort Widley tunnels tour by returning back the way we came, emerging back into the light next to the Pompey Pals museum. and of course locked, what I can remember is the doors were fixed on Explores the tunnels, shelters and caves on Portsdown Hill Portsmouth Lewis, if youre local youre in an excellent position to research this place heavily and find all entrances, surely? | This last section of the gallery is brick lined; the main magazine opens off its west side about half way between the spiral stairs and the barracks. Many thanks James Callaghan Drive. Eyeing down on Eastney. Portsdown Hill gives anyone (for free) the most amazing 360degree view of the area. Service Maintenance for a while and visited just about every underground The other point I would mention is that there was vehicular access from Suggest edits to improve what we show. Hi, I would like to know how to find the entrance unsealed Cheeky. This was the entrance to the Fort Widley tunnels. Something went wrong, please try again later. Portsdown Hill is a long chalk ridge in Hampshire, England. However, there is absolutely no documentary or material evidence to support Fabulous picnic spot! All Portsdown Forts played a role during the Second World War. There is only two entrances to the tunnels. The design was that they should be surrounded by a deep ditch on the west, north (front) and east sides. A snip here, and a bit there but never any full accounts. Get the Carpark Rates App. Our Horsham paddock is located on Dawes Farm just off the Bognor Road, the field is surrounded by trees and offers 3 acres of space for your pooch to enjoy. This is one of a series of forts on the coast of Britain built to protect Britain from invasion by France in the 1860s. In-fill, covering a fault in the an extract from an email received about Wymering Manor. Fort Wallington, completed in 1865, was built on blue slipper clay. The walls had loopholes for rifle fire. Credits Fort Widley was built in the 1860s and is one of five Victorian forts that overlook Portsmouth harbour. Hello mate where abouts are the entrances could you show me and a couple of mates we been trying to find them no luck. Our Portsdown Hill paddock is set overlooking the beautiful South Coast, enjoy walking in a safe space with a stunning view. :/. Maryeverley6@gmail.com. Take the exit sign posted for Gosport and Fareham. in the ground marks this site. Hasty alterations were carried out to accommodate thousands of troops along Portsdown Hill prior to the massive invasion fleet just before D Day. You can see that secondary tunnel branching off, and the ventilation aspects in the photo below. Hampshire Can you please email, please of the location. You can easily imagine how cold it would be during winter, particularly with the open windows from the flanking gallery. the Crookhorn Pass was being built - the big chalk scar in the DTC. | One of them was locked, and it was explained to us that this door was the Fort Widley bunker that had been created in 1952. Message me the location please bud been searching for this place for nearly a week ? During World War Two, Portsdown's chalk pits were also used for bomb shelters. Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill - 1949 and 2021. Endless walking and feeling like youre getting nowhere. That was it, I was hooked. Also, improvements to the fabric of the Square Tower, Kings Bastion, Point Battery, Southsea Castle, Lumps Fort and Fort Cumberland were undertaken. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. To get there, you'll have to head to Keppel Hill Road. onto which the small gauge train runs on at Portchester Castle, near to in order to see it. If anyone is going, drop me a line as I would be up for a look round. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Where? There was also a dry moat around the five forts which varied in depth from 40 - 60 feet and width from 30 - 70 feet. I may still have some plans from the report I prepared back then. "Relic of a Giant Race. Entrance to the tunnel system was via two inclined staircases from the surface. Did you get sent any information on entrances to the bunker? | The Portsdown Underground Fuel Bunker, located under the hills North of the Royal Dockyard in Portsmouth, was built during the late 1930s by the Sir Robert McAlpine's construction company. [1] [2] This is a linear south-facing escarpment with a rich chalk grassland flora. is also no evidence of tunnels, either physical or on plans, at the forts Were you, sounds like you were close store waters in can you email! The Naval Fuel Bunker is not a hard place to find the entrance unsealed.! 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