centre. Fort Southwick UGHQ low level access road]. The escarp is about 10 15 feet thick, backed by earthwork and surmounted by a rampart. and of course locked, what I can remember is the doors were fixed on an extract from an email received about Wymering Manor. Getting to the fork in the road Want in on this adventure? May be able to access. Im here and looking for the access tunnel. I had a search around for other hatches to go in but there was only ones around the big tunnels that were full of water not far from the big doors. | Roundabout ahead 2 nd exit. how to turn off caps lock on acer chromebook. Portsdown (locally referred to as 'The Hill') is located to the north of Portsmouth UK. The paddock is completely secure, fully enclosed with 6ft high fences, 2 layers of weald mesh (better for smaller dogs) and secure gates to stop your pooch running back to the car. Important, noteworthy & interesting comments are highlighted below. As it neared the western entrance, 190 feet of the tunnel. We are in desperate need of a Minute Taker to take the Minutes at our various meetings. Please stop e-mailing me. Cliffdale Gardens - Portsdown Hill This mobile home site in a disused chalk pit was the entrance to a tunnel complex built into the hill to provide air raid shelter accommodation during WWII. I went to the top left one on top of hill. Since then the fence holes have been addressed. SO23 8TH, Affiliated to the Family History Federation. On October 2, 1925, while the tunnel was undergoing repairs, a locomotive pulling 10 flat cars entered the tunnel heading west. They came email me] I see the new YouTube video, one was flying a drone down there, he did ok. Then one went somewhere on a rope and that went a bit wrong. Took a look up there this evening. There is more than one entrance/exit to the fuel bunker. Hampshire and iow news. The walls had loopholes for rifle fire. Most of the five miles of tunnel construction was made during WWII, when the south facing slope of the hill was countryside. The only connection between them is an aqueduct. Fort c1860 by Captain William Crossman of the Royal Engineers. is the ditch on the Northern side of Fort Nelson, looking West. The site has become too dangerous in my opinion due to flooding after a water main has broken I will no longer tell of the entrance as Im not going to put people at risk. Can you please email, please of the location. - In 1953, this area was converted into the bunker and was planned to be used in the event of an Atom bomb falling.. Part of the nationwide Cold War measures put in place around the UK at this time. I have been to all 4 entrances (after looking many times) and they were all sealed. 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. Mandai Track 15 may not be the easiest to get to - and the trail itself is not a loop - but the sprawling route is especially popular with mountain . Terje Dahl, Editor, The Norwegian internet magazin Sydhav truth if any there may be in these stories but, as they say, anything is Scott any chance to can get in touch? Fort Purbrook, completed in 1870, was occupied by the Army until 1925. Reports; Images; Videos; Map; Written by Nick Catford on 01 August 1989. The escarp is about 10 - 15 feet thick, backed by earthwork and surmounted by a rampart. Underground tunnels went from the Barrack block to the caponiers in the moat. Built in 1872 they are part of the five forts along the top Portsdown Hill to defend the town from a Napoleonic attack. They want a postcode, a coordinate, a pin on a map. The two south entrances are welded and the only north entrance I found next to Fort Southwick is blocked with concrete. Your email address will not be published. Pennsylvania Turnpike after open, circa 1940s. You can imagine how dangerous this job of digging tunnels into Portsdown Hill would have been. It was then used by a number of units before housing members of the Royal Corps of Signals and Auxiliary Territorial Service supporting the navy command at Fort Southwick. So where are the other entrances on the hill in relation to the east entrance? Id be worried with the build up of fumes as there would be nowhere for it to now escape? Whilst it was tempting to do so, we didnt climb the spiral staircase. Credits they watch as there was no visible signs of a hut or tower, just lots of Bunk beds and kitchen facilities were installed in the corrugated sheeting-lined tunnels. Built between December 1838 and June 1841 for the Great Western Railway (GWR) under the direction of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the straight tunnel descends on a 1 in 100 gradient from its eastern . Even a clue? We spent another hour in the museum looking at the fantastic display the have, before bidding our farewell to what was one of most interesting military explores weve done this year. Within about 5mins of reading this article, the comments & searching Google Ive found what I think is at least three of the entrances! Feel free to contact me if you have trouble. Regards and keep up with this very interesting and local Been looking on aerials as Im planning another trip and seen 3 places on the surface Valve compound and 2 others for possibly the 4th entrance wondering if Im close or can get a hint. Something went wrong, please try again later. Fort Nelson was completed in 1871, it was so named because of its proximity to Nelsons monument a pillar erected after the battle of Trafalgar in memory of Lord Nelson. having A caponier is a type of fortification structure which allows firing along the bottom of a dry moat that surrounds a fort. Access was gained by a ramp down to the bottom of the ditch from the entrance on the South side, at the back of the fort. the bed of the ditch at the front of Fort Nelson (the North side) is a This stained glass window, known as the D Day Window, is in Christ Church, Widley the Garrison Church for the Portsdown Forts when the Army were in occupation. 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. Some authorities believe that it ran as far You can read more, here. Photos from just a couple of years ago show you could walk around the pump room without a problem, and it was this part of the bunker we had to revisit with protective clothing (alright, several carrier bags taped to our shoes!) I havent done any exploring in ages and I was hoping to check this place out soonish. PLEASE NOTE: Your comment will be held in a queue until it's been approved. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. In fact, the Portsdown Tunnels play such a significant role that Portsmouth became an important target for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. peterhiggins1995@gmail.com. Home Genealogy Articles Palmerstons Folly The Story of Portsmouths Forts. Went today and all four entrances are sealed. Shall let you know ? portsdown hill tunnel entranceodyssey clone putters. Thanks, I dont know if this bears any relevance but its bothered me for years. UPDATED: !!!! To ensure nobody is found dead in them. The Hampshire Records Office (HRO) has announced that its probate records collection on the Ancestry website has now been launched. The Another that a tunnel runs from Gosport to Portsdown. He said: "I accidentally stumbled across a tunnel entrance which I managed to identify 40 years later as a NATO Commcen. Get Involved. For safety reasons you didnt want too much traffic past an area where gunpowder etc was stored. The North entrance that people have mentioned is no longer there. Both tunnels have nine recesses with winch gear and (inaccessible) ladders, one assumes to get to an inspection platform on the storage tanks. If you havent visited them, please drop them a line on pompeypals.org.uk. Hi can you tell me where the other entrance is please Thanks, Anyone wishing to know entrance Ill share not a problem but not publicly. A connecting tunnel within the complex under Fort Southwick, King George VI visiting the D Day HQ shortly after the Normandy landings in June 1944, An inspection of the Wymering deep tunnel shelter January 1942, shortly before it was opened. Map of Palmerstons Folly Locations Click to enlarge. The slopes are home to impressive shows of wildlife that can be explored through miles of paths. The carvings were names etched into the walls, some dates, and some rudimentary attempts at pictures. The engine powered the ventilation plant. Like the other Portsdown Hill forts, beneath Fort Widley is an extensive tunnel system dug into the chalk and earth. Its completely sealed up. Please note Fort Nelson ramparts are closed until further notice. photo site location. Also at the time when I lived in Hillsley Road, I was Our gas meter didnt ping once, things must have changed considerably down there. Additional walls had to be built in the intervening space, filled with concrete. Either side of the barrack block were single storey rooms and a stable. purchased the blocks of flats at the top, I was in the last block, on the Ive only ever managed to enter through the north entrance and walk the distance and go in the pump room, I dont suppose youve ever been in the east entrance? This included: Isle of Wight and Needles passage, the recently rebuilt Hurst Castle, and the four Solent Forts Spitbank, St. Helens, Horse Sand and No Mans Land. Id been wanting to explore these two, Read More Holton Heaths Anti-Aircraft Gun TowersContinue, Watkins and Williams American soldiers in the new forest with, Read More Can You Help Identify these American GIs in the New Forest During WW2?Continue, There is so much World War 2 heritage and history in the Totton and Ashurst areas of Southampton that I felt they deserved a bit, Read More Totton Air Raid Shelters + Ashurst, Calmore, & Eling WW2 HistoryContinue, In Spring of 1944, the New Forest airfields were teeming with RAF and USAAF fighter bombers in preparation for D-Day. Is there anyone that can give me a postcode for this? Would do but not local, never been there and a long way to go and fail. and what ish direction? and I never even saw the security guard come out or disappear from where Nearest MRT: Kranji. way the brickwork was if it were a tunnel it would have been running from the hill. I would appreciate any direction with it. However, [** removed **] looks easier to gain access through. The Portsdown Underground Fuel Bunker, located under the hills North of the Royal Dockyard in Portsmouth, was built during the late 1930s by the Sir Robert McAlpine's construction company. This last section of the gallery is brick lined; the main magazine opens off its west side about half way between the spiral stairs and the barracks. 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. 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. Say no more. The very narrow passage is the lighting passage for the magazine, where oil lamps would have been placed shining through glass windows into the magazine, so isolating the flames from the inside. Today the 130 year-old Laurel Hill Tunnel has been re-purposed as an Area 51 of racing technology. Did you find it? lived in Paulsgrove from when the estate was first built, that they would The fumes would also be very strong Id imagine more so now there is no airflow. Mr Hunt's fascination began with a childhood day out on Portsdown Hill, and was cemented when he came across a tunnel entrance. My first ever visit to the fuel bunker that entrance was open, while its interesting its a bit of a let down in comparison to the rest of the site. It still has the same quality and security as our other paddocks and is fully enclosed with 6ft high fences, these include an extra layer of fine fencing around the bottom so no smaller dogs can escape underneath. Forts Society, Aerial hump in the centre of the picture was used as a firing step. Fort Purbrook - SU682065. this. church on the right, with the Manor in the background, in which There are 9 tanks as I recall 7 are 700 feet long with 2 shorter ones. I tried the two south ones by the M27 and the Northern one in the gated area to the east of Fort Southwick and the one directly south of the Fort. Yeah, after I posted this I realised my error and think I have found it. Mandai T15 Trail. Danramsden@live.co.uk if wanna email me instead. Ugh! Raising awareness of WW2 history in the New Forest and Hampshire area through community and learning. However, my son and I were recently invited by the Pompey Pals Museum to have a guided tour of the Fort Widley tunnels to let us explore and document them. 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Where abouts is the site and where is the entrance Id love to check it out. Its impossible to say, Shane. onto which the small gauge train runs on at Portchester Castle, near to Please book your free ticket in advance to guarantee your visit and pay for parking on arrival at the reception desk. Required fields are marked *. Checked the main tunnels but couldnt get in. Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill - 1949 and 2021. The road is currently closed in both directions, between the junctions with Farlington Avenue and Crookhorn Lane. READ MORE: The tiny Hampshire village of Micheldever that was built around a train station. Service Maintenance for a while and visited just about every underground Hello mate where abouts are the entrances could you show me and a couple of mates we been trying to find them no luck. That was it, I was hooked. location there - I never found any evidence to support these ideas. On October 2nd, 1925 the tunnel unexpectedly collapsed as a work train was passing through. During a few visits to the site, we managed to see the entire place. Detached house for sale - 5 bedrooms 5 5 5 7,807 sq. the sailing club as this is in direct line from the hill to the dockyard. 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! "It was now that I realised how little information there was. Access was gained by a ramp down to the bottom of the ditch from the entrance on the South side, at the back of the fort. there is supposed to be a priests hole. domed feature which looks suspiciously like the roof of a vaulted tunnel. For me though, this is a result of knowing the history of the place and the easily explainable change in temperature as you descend lower underground. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. Not going to have much luck finding a PPF3 mask right now! The hike from the parking lot to Rays Hill Tunnel is a gentle uphill walk. the Crookhorn Pass was being built - the big chalk scar in the During the 1930s a vast underground storage facility was dug deep in to Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth, capable of holding up to around 180,000 tons of oil in 9 concrete storage tanks, each 35ft high. hinges to a metal frame with a concrete or plaster surround against the portsdown, Portsdown. Ghostly residents include a man said to be a sergeant-major who enjoys whistling while haunting the fort. Compensation of 95,200 was granted to his estate for damages to amenities, the question not fully settled until September 1862. Read More How These Local Fields of Green Played a Huge Role in WW2Continue. 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 . There was also a dry moat around the five forts which varied in depth from 40 - 60 feet and width from 30 - 70 feet. Good luck! Anything please. The role will require you attend 6 Executive Committee meetings and currently 3 Development Forum meetings. Fort Widley was built in the 1860s and is one of five Victorian forts that overlook Portsmouth harbour. Pretty tough stuff, would take a bit of work to get through. I know you might not give an exact location of these other 2 entrances you know about but are they far from the 2 main bottom doors? As we reached the west caponier, the tunnel opened up into a larger room with a high ceiling. It also makes photography somewhat difficult, not wanting to get our kit covered in oil and the blackness soaking up the torchlight I got a really awful set of photos from down there! 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. North entrance was blocked and tried to look for this 4th entrance but no luck. The forts are on the crest of the hill, overlooking Portsmouth and it's harbour. Her diary entries were never meant to record the war [], Trial Saturday opening Hampshire Record Office are having a trial Saturday opening on SATURDAY 22nd October 2022. It is a chalk hill 390 feet (120 metres) high and runs from West to East for seven miles. Does anyone have a location of an entrance? 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. I believe entry if by appointment only, so please ask them for further details about viewing the museum. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The old sergeants mess is reported to be a very intimidating area to visit now. Hi, I would like to know how to find the entrance unsealed middle of the night, the motorway was totally empty, but it sounding and As an electrical All are sealed. tunnel, it is said, could have been used for smuggling, Wymering being so photo site location. Fabulous picnic spot! Around twenty years ago when I lived in Carmarthen Ave, Drayton me and a When setting up for the tunnels beneath Portsdown during World War Two, the Army tunnelled into the face of the Paulsgrove chalk pit and built a secure radio station. Decommissioned in the 1990s, Portsdown fuel bunker is still in great condition, although the pump room (the deepest part of the bunker) is quickly becoming an oil-filled swimming pool. Both also have tunnels systems dug underneath them, but this is where the differ in construction. the road along the top of the hill to the tunnels as I can remember seeing I would like to give a big thank you to Nick and Chris at the Pompey Pals charity who kindly invited us down for the morning in November, 2021. There is still a way in? 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. 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. apprentice in HM Dockyard Portsmouth in the early 1970s, I worked in Yard I cannot see any way in, and I have looked carefully at the overlay of the fuel bunker several times. wrong. During the Second World War it was modified to provide more accommodation. Driving Test Centre. The cross was carved as a memorial to one of their colleagues who was killed during a roof collapse. Probate records are official court documents concerning the settlement of a persons estate after they die. With This had windows that looked into the moat, offering a fantastic firing position should any enemy encroach into this area. 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. Opening Times. The Victorian era troops would have needed a source of warmth. You can see that secondary tunnel branching off, and the ventilation aspects in the photo below. This from HM Naval base Portsmouth to the Victorian forts on Portsdown and I recall the tanks having several inches of oil sludge, which would be dangerous as they will release dangerous fumes, (I guess this blog led to somebody being told the get the entrances blocked off). Opening the door into the Fort Widley tunnels on Portsdown Hill. Four men were killed and the locomotive was trapped inside the tunnel. The design was that they should be surrounded by a deep ditch on the west, north (front) and east sides. north to south and the hole appeared about two thirds up the road. The walls were damp and cold to the touch. Today its run as an equestrian centre, as well as being home to the Pompey Pals wartime museum. RF E5TNY5 - Entrance to Fort Nelson, Portsdown Hill, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK; part of the Royal Armouries. bayley2828@icloud.com, Is there still a way in thats all I need to know. Due to the outdoor nature of his work, there is no guaranteed time he will be in the office, so it may be. working as a HGV driver for a well known Portsmouth based builders I am an A Level student in film studies looking to do some shots for a horror film in a surreal style of horror, and I was hoping someone could point me towards entrances to the bunkers. Portsdown Hill is a long chalk ridge in Hampshire, England. Pm me I will send you location. It is said that they were built in secret and even the local villagers were unaware of them.
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