Sandown Fort
| Sandown Fort | |
|
Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 The Isle of Wight Zoo in the fort | |
| Type: | Palmerston fort |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SZ597839 |
| Location: | 50°39’38"N, 1°8’21"W |
| Village: | Sandown |
| History | |
| Built 1861 – 1864 | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Redeveloped |
| Owned by: | Isle of Wight Zoo |
Sandown Fort is a fort built in Sandown on the Isle of Wight, Hampshire’s great south island, in the middle of Sandown Bay. It is one of the many Palmerston Forts built on the island to protect it in response to a perceived French invasion, and as a replacement of the earlier Sandown Diamond Fort, as in 1859 the Royal Commission felt the latter did not offer suitable protection.[1]
Construction of the fort began in April 1861 and was completed by September 1864 at a cost of £73,876. In later documents it is often referred to as Granite Fort. The fort originally had 18 9-inch R.M.L guns facing the sea behind iron shields, these guns were later upgraded and an extra 5 inches of armor was added.[2]
The fort was sold in 1930 but during Second World War the fort played a significant role in the D-Day landings as it housed sixteen pumps for the PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean) operation to Allies supplied with fuel. Each of the 16 pumps supplied 36,000 gallons of fuel per day at a pressure of 1,500 lb per square inch.[1]
In the 1950s the site went on to house the Isle of Wight Zoo, which it continues to do so to this day.
Outside links
- Victorian Forts data sheet for Sandown (Granite) Fort
- Victorian Forts data sheet for Sandown Barrack Battery
References
- Moore, David, 2010. The East Wight Defences, Solent Papers Number 10, David Moore, Gosport. ISBN 0954845331
