Winter Social 4 - Fort Gilkicker - Palmerston Fort Society

Fort Gilkicker is a Palmerston coastal fort designed to dominate the key anchorage of Spithead and the approaches to Portsmouth Harbour. Construction started in 1863 but, as was the case with most forts of that period, developments in technology and politics meant that the fort went through many changes during its operational life. In the early 20th century, massive concrete positions were built on the roof of the fort and the original armoured granite casemates were buried under sand and gravel.
After decades of neglect, the attention of scrappers and vandals and a few aborted development projects, the fort is now being converted into 26 apartments. The conversion has required the removal of the 20th century installations and the exhumation of the embrasures that had been buried for over 100 years. The Palmerston Forts Society were invited to help with the documentation and interpretation of a number of finds - and they were not disappointed with what was found.
Palmerston Forts Society member Lewis Sharp will present a short history of the fort followed by a detailed description of the findings and some of the remaining mysteries seen at the fort.

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Last updated 5:10am on 23 February 2025