Fort Monckton: The Former Central Magazine

Summary

Former magazine, built in about 1789-1790 with early and mid-C20 additions.

Reasons for Designation

The Former Central Magazine, built in about 1789-1790 as part of the bastioned artillery fort of Fort Monckton, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* Purpose-built gunpowder magazines constructed before the mid-C19 do not survive in high numbers nationally, and this example is a notable late C18 survival in the context of a rare true bastioned artillery fort of which there are only about eight examples in England;
* A surviving component of an artillery fort at the forefront of British military architecture in the late C18;
* For the austere neoclassical style exterior and the surviving internal layout, including barrel-vaulted ventilation passages, a central barrel-vaulted magazine, and the inner walls with (now blocked) offset windows designed to allow indirect light into the chamber;
* For the surviving studded copper-covered external door, originally provided in accordance with magazine regulations to prevent sparks;

Historic interest:

* As the central magazine to an artillery fort built following invasion concerns in the late C18, which continued to form a major part of Portsmouth’s defences in the earlier C19 before being used as a base for experimental development of sea mines and electric lighting;
* A former magazine used as a pistol range in the early C20 which remains tangible in the built fabric through the bullet holes in the rear wall;

Group value:

* An integral part of the scheduled artillery fort, and for group value with the Former Officers’ Mess, which is listed at Grade II.

History

The Former Central Magazine is situated on the parade ground at Fort Monckton; a bastioned artillery fort built between 1781 and 1790 to defend the western approaches to Portsmouth Harbour. It is contemporary with the fort and is one of two early surviving buildings on the parade ground yard; the other is the early C19 Former Officers' Mess. The site is a scheduled monument (National Heritage List for England 1001844) and that record should be consulted for a history and description of the fort. Fort Monckton originally held a substantial armament; in 1805 it included twenty-four 36-pounder guns, twenty-three 18-pounder guns and twelve 12-pounder guns. However, the construction of improved outer defences for Portsmouth and Gosport in the 1860s saw the fort mainly being used as barracks and workshops. It was occupied by the Royal Engineers from 1878, leading to the conversion of casemates into workshops and stores and the former magazine into a canteen. In the early C20 the former magazine was used as a pistol range; it is shown on a plan of 1919. An extension was added to the south-west side of the building at this time. During the Second World War the fort provided Anti-Aircraft defence and housed the Gun Operations Room for the Gosport area. A single-storey extension was added to the north-east elevation of the former magazine in the mid-C20. The fort was used as a military base in the late C20 and early C21. It continues in MOD use (2017) and there is no permitted public access.

Details

Former magazine, built in about 1789-1790 with early and mid-C20 additions.

MATERIALS: Red brick laid in Flemish bond with flared headers and stone dressings.

PLAN: A square barrel-vaulted single-storey building with two small extensions to the side elevations.

EXTERIOR: the magazine is a single-storey building with a barrel and hipped felt-covered roof. It is three bays wide and three bays long, orientated north-west to south-east. The main façade faces south-east and comprises two projecting pedimented doorways either side of a Diocletian window. Each doorway is formed of a round-headed arch with projecting imposts and keystones, under a broken-pediment. The east doorway contains a studded copper-covered door with bronze hinges, originally provided in accordance with magazine regulations to prevent sparks; the west doorway contains a C20 flush timber door. The south-west elevation has two six-over-six horned sash windows to either side of a one bay early C20 extension. This extension is constructed in red brick laid in stretcher bond and has a three-over-six sash window, flat roof and rendered chimney. The north-east elevation has six-over-six horned sash windows and a mid-C20 extension which is two bays long by one bay wide. It is built of red brick laid in stretcher bond with a flat concrete felt-covered roof. There is a timber-boarded doorway and fixed window to the south-east wall and one fixed window in the north-east wall.

INTERIOR: barrel-vaulted ventilation passages on three sides (the south-west, north-west and north-east) accessed via doorways from a central magazine chamber covered by a pointed barrel-vault. The inner walls contain blocked windows, which are offset from those in the outer walls, originally to allow indirect light to enter the magazine chamber. The brickwork in the back wall of the magazine is scarred by bullet holes from its use as a pistol range in the early C20. There is a blocked ventilation cavity in the barrel-vaulted ceiling.

Sources

Books and journals
Saunders, A D, Fortifications of Portsmouth and the Solent, (1998)
Saunders, A D, Fortress Britain, (1989), 126
Moore, D, Solent Papers No.13 - Fort Blockhouse and Fort Monckton, (2014)
Williams, G, The Portsmouth Papers No.30: The Western Defences of Portsmouth Harbour 1400-1800, (1979)

Other
1892 site plan, Historic England Archive, Reference: MD95/06393 and MD95/06394
1919 site plan, Historic England Archive, Reference: MD95/06395

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