Fort Widley - Portsmouth, City of (UA)

A Royal Commission Fort c1860, intended to protect Portsmouth from attack from the rear. It is laid out in a massive polygonal trace plan, designed by Captain William Crossman of the Royal Engineers, surrounded on three sides by a dry moat with scarp and counterscarp in red brick with flint facings. There is a red brick barrack block to the elevation facing the road. Like the adjacent Purbrook, Widley is owned by Portsmouth City Council and leased to a charitable trust. Maintenance issues are now becoming repair problems. Historic England is working with all parties to address these.