Fort Elson

Fort Elson stands on the northern edge of Gosport, beside Elson Creek. It is a polygonal land fort built in the 1850s as part of the Gomer-Elson line of five forts. The fort sits on a D-shaped rampart with a wet ditch and a barrack block at the rear. A sluice once linked the northern section to Fareham Creek to keep the ditch filled. Work began in 1855 and finished in 1860, though construction proved difficult when part of the escarp slipped into the ditch one night. The fort’s value lies in its role during the 19th century’s coastal defences. It was armed with heavy smooth-bore guns, later replaced by rifled breech-loaders and even early machine guns. From 1853 to 1894, the Royal Artillery Militia used the site for training. In the First World War an anti-aircraft gun was placed here, and in the Second World War the magazines stored depth charges and torpedoes. Visitors cannot enter the fort today, as it remains within a military depot. The barrack block once housed officers and soldiers, with stables and additional rooms beneath the flanks. The parade ground and magazines lie beneath the ramparts, reached through tunnels. Though now a scheduled monument and on the Buildings at Risk register, its ruins still show the scale of 19th-century military engineering.