Lumps Fort

Lumps Fort stands on the southern edge of Portsea Island in Southsea, a quiet reminder of the area’s military past. Built in the 18th century as a coastal defence, it later became part of the Palmerston forts in the 19th century. The fort once held seventeen guns and housed a hundred soldiers, though only a Master Gunner usually lived there. By the 1890s it held three large 6-inch guns, which were removed in 1906. After the First World War the fort was demolished, leaving only its outline behind. The fort’s later years saw it used by specialist units during the Second World War. The Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment trained here, developing equipment for secret raids. After the war the site became a rose garden, while nearby land became the Southsea Model Village. The Canoe Lake next to the fort opened in 1886 and was used during the war to test ways of defeating magnetic mines. Today visitors find a peaceful green space beside the Canoe Lake. The outline of the old fort can still be traced in the grass. The rose garden and model village remain popular attractions. The lake offers calm views and a place to walk. From here the old defences of Portsmouth Harbour can be imagined.