Fort Widley, Portsmouth - Portsmouth, City of (UA)

Fort c1860 by Captain William Crossman of the Royal Engineers. It is one of a series of forts built for the defence of Portsmouth against landward attacks in the1860s and known as Palmerston's Follies as they were never used defensively. It is laid out in a massive polygonal trace plan and surrounded on three sides by a dry moat. The fort is run by a charitable trust as an outdoor activities centre. Maintenance issues are now becoming repair problems. A structural survey of the counterscarp wall and a vegetation management plan has been funded through Countryside Stewardship.

Site Details

Designated Site Name:

Fort Widley

Heritage Category:

Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number:

1001862

Local Planning Authority:

Portsmouth, City of (UA)

Site Type:

Defence > Fort

Location

Building Name:

Fort Widley

Locality:

Portsdown Hill

Unitary Authority:

Portsmouth, City of (UA)

Parliamentary Constituency:

Portsmouth North

Region:

London and South East

Assessment Information

Assessment Type:

Building or structure

Condition:

Poor

Occupancy / Use:

Part occupied/part in use

Priority:

C - Slow decay; no solution agreed

Previous Priority:

C

Ownership:

Local authority

Designation:

Scheduled Monument, 2 LBs