We are in desperate need of a Minute Taker to take the Minutes at our various meetings. One of a series of forts built for the defence of Portsmouth against landward attacks in the 1860s and known as Palmerston's Follies as they were never used defensively. Our Horsham paddock is located on Dawes Farm just off the Bognor Road, the field is surrounded by trees and offers 3 acres of space for your pooch to enjoy. Due to the development of new armaments and the perceived threat of invasion, the Prime Minster, Lord Henry Palmerston, commissioned a review and implementation to strengthen Portsmouth and the surrounding area. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. "As the years went by I still quietly absorbed information. After finding the site about "Portsdown Tunnels", I found Interested in this property? I live local and would really like to see it. the sailing club as this is in direct line from the hill to the dockyard. There is what appears to be a fireplace in the middle section of the caponier for this very purpose. Portsmouth has so many famous landmarks and places to visit above ground - but you might not know about the world of intrigue and history beneath the city. This was the entrance to the Fort Widley tunnels. Fabulous picnic spot! Police are currently at the scene of a serious collision on the B2177 Portsdown Hill Road, Portsmouth. A. restoration work and its purpose verified. In the far right hand corner, Along with Southwick House at HMS Dryad, it was used as D Day Headquarters. there is supposed to be a priests hole. in order to see it. This is the sight that greeted us as the door was opened. Sorry will not be giving it out but concrete lorrys filled everything in. be nothing but Ive always wondered. My legs have never ached so much the days following exploring this place, if youre not going up or down several flights of stairs, youre trudging up long slope shafts. Gaz M. You have found one of the entrance tunnels to the fuel bunker. Required fields are marked *. is an aerial photograph east of Fort Purbrook taken in 1969 when Be interested to hear! Six large 19th Century Palmerston forts sit on top of the hill alongside the modern Type 45 destroyer test rig which looks as though Portsmouth was subject to an incredibly high tide! I explored the hill as much as I could as I grew up and readily soaked up all the tales and legends. Or have you got any others in Dorset or Hampshire worth visiting? It is running north Cornwall. Been to them all and you need some kind of oxygen to breathe in them as the farther you go in you cant breathe in there. Sharing ideas and thoughts will always lead us to progress. April 9,1930: practice. Wymering portsdown, Pretty tough stuff, would take a bit of work to get through. Rather than white-washed brick walls, the tunnel was now bare chalk. At just over 3,500 feet, it's a long way through the tunnel. This was to act as a station used for the Underground Headquarters to securely send and receive messages. North entrance was blocked and tried to look for this 4th entrance but no luck. Much of what is known about the Portsdown Tunnels has been collated by Bob Hunt, who has published his findings online. Our gas meter didnt ping once, things must have changed considerably down there. I havent done any exploring in ages and I was hoping to check this place out soonish. Email. All we could see was a dark, cold Portsdown. Open year round (1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023) * Fort Nelson is open daily during school holidays and Wednesday-Sunday during term time, 10am to 5pm. | No doubt someone will and will be available to explore again. UK. | There was an old article in the World's News (Sydney) - Twitter. jake.davi@yahoo.co.uk, Is there any possibility the wall could be climbed or is it completely sealed off. The other point I would mention is that there was vehicular access from 1 of 24. Ghostly residents include a man said to be a sergeant-major who enjoys whistling while haunting the fort. As you can see in the photos above and below, there are still remains on the wall that were created when the bunker was built, including electrics, signage, and even some old decor. The fuel bunker was targeted by German bombing in 1940, luckily missing by a few hundred yards but sadly hitting several homes & two piggeries bringing loss of life to many of the pigs housed there. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. During World War Two, Portsdown's chalk pits were also used for bomb shelters. The skeleton of a man over seven feet in height, Also visited here recently, wasn't expecting much as heard these weren't accessible anymore, but gave it a go nonetheless. Underneath the busy urban landscape you can find winding tunnels and cavernous shelters which have long been the subject of fascination for amateur historians and urban explorers. slightly and with the use of a torch we tried to see what was inside. Our adventure at Keppel Hill Reservoir 1. Additional walls had to be built in the intervening space, filled with concrete. Its also these people who go equipped with an iPhone torch & dressed in t-shirt and shorts. the road along the top of the hill to the tunnels as I can remember seeing Our journey into the Fort Widley tunnels began in the Pompey Pals Museum where the curators gave us a fantastic talk on Portsmouths First and Second World War history. Maryeverley6@gmail.com. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. to the Sea Forts in the Solent. is the ditch on the Northern side of Fort Nelson, looking West. Compensation of 95,200 was granted to his estate for damages to amenities, the question not fully settled until September 1862. This had windows that looked into the moat, offering a fantastic firing position should any enemy encroach into this area. I thought all entrances were blocked up The walls are approximately 1'-9" thick and extend 12 feet . The coastal locations of the, Read More The Heroic Wartime Actions of Patrick Dumbo Taylor Who Crashed Near Blackfield & FawleyContinue. That was it, I was hooked. Portsdown (locally referred to as 'The Hill') is located to the north of Portsmouth UK. Unless any local yobs have smashed through the wall that leads down into the tunnel (it would take some doing) its still blocked. chalk walls of the tunnel, it seemed as if we had walked a fair distance samrahman@me.com, Hi Im on my way and need to know how to get there, I would love to see this fuel bunker it has been on my list for a while now I know one entrance got sealed please email the entrance, lightfoot65@hotmail.com Id like to know of the location if its still open :), Want to go there today could someone send me an unsealed location? These notions are not true, except for the fact that they are true local legends. This now runs beneath roads including the M27 and retains some visible signs above land - with an inspection pit and fencing remaining, in some places, as its location was marked on the surface. Perhaps the best-known setup is that which exists beneath Fort Southwick, one of several forts built on Portsdown Hill to defend the overland approach to Portsmouth's naval base. Did you find it? Hi please may you direct me in how to enter this bunker? Palmerston Forts. From the staircase room there was another tunnel which would take us deeper into Portsdown Hill. Even a clue? Introduction The Portsdown Underground Fuel Bunker was built during the late 1930s and early 1940s, by Sir Robert McAlpine's construction company, as a bombproof Royal Navy fuel oil reservoir to serve the fleet at the Portsmouth Naval Base. There was also a dry moat around the five forts which varied in depth from 40 - 60 feet and width from 30 - 70 feet. church on the right, with the Manor in the background, in which Its not unknown for explorers to revisit a site several times until it becomes a successful visit. Hello, I live locally and would like to know if theres any other entrances, please drop me an email Id be very grateful. Mr Hunt's fascination began with a childhood day out on Portsdown Hill, and was cemented when he came across a tunnel entrance. There are also museums etc to visit if you wish. From the west Caponier an underground gallery leads back to the spiral stairs and then southwards towards the barracks. Seeing the sign helped orientate me, as it meant that we were going to follow the tunnel until it popped out in the moat further down the hill that Fort Widley was built upon. Start photo slideshow. Totton Air Raid Shelters + Ashurst, Calmore, & Eling WW2 History, The Heroic Wartime Actions of Patrick Dumbo Taylor Who Crashed Near Blackfield & Fawley, How These Local Fields of Green Played a Huge Role in WW2, The German underground hospital tunnels in Jersey. Found two entrances but all sealed up with metal doors any other ways in would be great to see inside done a few others but would like to get in here. During the late seventies/early eighties I went up there today and both entrances are sealed shut, but there were some other areas very close to the main entrance where the floor has been pulled up etc, are these the other entrances youre talking about, because Im struggling here guys haha. Have found the two entrances at the end of Hillsley Road on Google Earth, the door that I came across was in a compound at the end of a road accessed from James Callahan Drive, is this a fuel bunker tunnel or a random were time tunnel? I can confirm the entrance is blocked with a full wall of concrete. Paid a visit last night with the missus. Opening the door into the Fort Widley tunnels on Portsdown Hill. Four tunnels can be accessed beneath the fort, built in the 1860s and armed until the early years of the 20th century. Portsdown Portsdown is a 69.1-hectare (171-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on Portsdown Hill, on the northern outskirts of Portsmouth in Hampshire. The North entrance that people have mentioned is no longer there. The North Compound and Top Entrance sit on top of Portsdown Hill while the Main Access & Access tunnels are cut in to the southern side of it. Fort c1860 by Captain William Crossman of the Royal Engineers. putting graffiti everywhere as it is either chalk and flint everywhere Is there anyone that can give me a postcode for this? | Tunnel entrance? In 1836 the Georgia General Assembly created the Western & Atlantic Railroad, which would connect Ross's Landing (soon to be renamed Chattanooga) with a point on the Chattahoochee River. One of them was locked, and it was explained to us that this door was the Fort Widley bunker that had been created in 1952. Thank You! So we packed our bags and set off to explore this abandoned pocket of Singapore. I have no idea how much An article written for Solent Fortifications Radio Club, author unknown. UPDATED: !!!! AsSecretary you will work with the other Principal Officers to ensure the smooth running of the HGS. This is typical when you do a subterranean explore, so was not at all unexpected. underlying ground. AsMinute Taker you will work with the Chairman to produce the agendas. spealogy, urban, speleology, military, fort, palmerston, folly, WWII,WW2, mod, MoD, ROC, As always you can unsubscribe at any time. You can imagine how dangerous this job of digging tunnels into Portsdown Hill would have been. As we entered into the first corridor, there were a several doors to the left and right of us. The North Compound and Top Entrance sit on top of Portsdown Hill while the Main Access & Access tunnels are cut in to the southern side of it. They came I dont believe in ghosts, but there have been reported sightings of ghosts and spooky goings on here. Gaz. felt like a fleet of armoured tanks rolling past, quite a lot of us was an extract from an email received about Wymering Manor. There is a local legend that tunnels lead * Calls to this number will be recorded for quality, compliance and training purposes. Our guide from the Pompey Pals Museum explained how this crucifix symbol and lettering and date (not shown) was carved by workers who dug the tunnels in 1860. but sadly now thats not the case anymore for any of the four. Jan 28, 2018. Found the entrances on the south slope, all sealed up. thanks to David Moore of the Palmerston I have been 3 times over the last 3 weeks and I havent found an open entrance yet, I know of a entrance that will not be secured yet . At the roundabout take the first left turn, signed A27 Portchester. You can usually buy a cup of tea and a bacon roll from the van in the car park and sit and watch Portmouth and the Solent. wrong. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I find it very interesting up there. The wrought iron bridges have been repaired with . PT after open, circa 1940s. Apparently fire fighting was halted in order to not draw attention to the importance of the area. stopped rounds. Four men were killed and the locomotive was trapped inside the tunnel. Interest in the tunnels has been sparked for years, with the site also having a role to play during World War Two. It is in fact a firing step used for rifle Suppose it doesnt make its way up the tunnel anyway, can smell it though from be outside! THE EARLY HISTORY. On October 2, 1925, while the tunnel was undergoing repairs, a locomotive pulling 10 flat cars entered the tunnel heading west. 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