That was it, I was hooked. Hope you all understand !!!! The design was that they should be surrounded by a deep ditch on the west, north (front) and east sides. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. Top ways to experience nearby attractions Portsmouth Historic Dockyard: Ultimate Explorer Ticket 145 Suggest edits to improve what we show. 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. they watch as there was no visible signs of a hut or tower, just lots of Jason Suthers. Not going to have much luck finding a PPF3 mask right now! It is running north Our adventurous souls craved an unconventional trekking experience. A road of two halves, one known for its path along the top of Portsdown Hill Road, and the other forming the run up to it. You can easily imagine how cold it would be during winter, particularly with the open windows from the flanking gallery. UK. DTC. Ive been wondering are there any entrances open to access the tunnels? No doubt someone will and will be available to explore again. Mandai T15 Trail. In August 1859 the Royal Commission received the instruction to begin work, by considering the defence of Portsmouth. The best job I had. Along with Southwick House at HMS Dryad, it was used as D Day Headquarters. 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There are also museums etc to visit if you wish. on iOS, Android & AppGallery. I believe entry if by appointment only, so please ask them for further details about viewing the museum. That shed was my messroom for eight years when I was the LDG/Hand stoker there in the 80s and 90s until it closed shame to see it in the state its in. Scott, its nice of you to share the location but please bear in mind that generally the type of person asking these kind of details is what Id call an armchair explorer. The forts on Portsdown Hill were built as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission, as part of a series of fortifications built to defend Portsmouth and its dockyard (which is 8 kilometres away) from a possible attack from inland, as the development of rifled gun barrels made it possible for an invading army to land elsewhere, circle around to the vintage abel reels. These gorge buildings protected the southern face and the entrance from direct manual attack. The other one is supposed to run from Fort Purbrook to Purbrook blackness that I have never forgotten. across, inside the hole we could see brickwork forming the top of an arch Do you know anything about this? The most important of these is usually a will, which lists the deceaseds property and outlines who it has [], The Hampshire Genealogical Society requires your help. In other words, you did the hard work in locating your entrance, and itll be the lazy explorer that gets it sealed up! Fort Southwick UGHQ low level access road]. possible. 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. All are sealed. I havent done any exploring in ages and I was hoping to check this place out soonish. The tunnels have been sealed up, so there is nothing much to be seen now. The idea that the Palmerston Forts UPDATE: !!!! This feature 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. Would do but not local, never been there and a long way to go and fail. Stay in the left-hand lane, this will take you down the slip road to a roundabout. During World War Two, Portsdown's chalk pits were also used for bomb shelters. Hampshire and iow news. I really dont understand the need for people to deface these places?! There is only two entrances to the tunnels. As it neared the western entrance, 190 feet of the tunnel. merchant, and there was a delivery that was for the builders at the fuel Our guide explained to use how the tunnels also had Cold War history during those decades and the fort was also taken over by Portsmouth Council in the 1970s. Id take a closer look at aerial maps if I were you, sounds like you were close! putting graffiti everywhere as it is either chalk and flint everywhere Home Genealogy Articles Palmerstons Folly The Story of Portsmouths Forts. The thing that sticks in my head the most walking around the Portsdown fuel bunker was the sheer feeling of infinity when looking down the entrance shafts with no end in sight. is the ditch on the Northern side of Fort Nelson, looking West. Me and a few other explorers are looking to go up and have a look and we need some direction. Keep checking. The Itd be great if more people did this and reported back accurate information on access. quarry, naval, Something went wrong, please try again later. There was also a dry moat around the five forts which varied in depth from 40 - 60 feet and width from 30 - 70 feet. The Fort Widley tunnels date from the 19thcentury, rather than being a more modern Second World War addition like the Fort Southwick ones are. Some people may disagree with these statements and I The Barrack block walls were 4 5 feet thick with a thick reinforced concrete roof. end. Explores the tunnels, shelters and caves on Portsdown Hill Portsmouth Where did you get that map? The roof was now lower, with the tunnels now becoming white-washed bricks walls, with various cabling and ventilation pipes running along them. and of course locked, what I can remember is the doors were fixed on Service Maintenance for a while and visited just about every underground This To ensure nobody is found dead in them. We now walked into a different tunnel. Wymering Manor is supposed to be connect to it very interesting and surprised on how much history there is regarding 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. The Victorian era troops would have needed a source of warmth. And getting there is full of thorns. chalkpit, chalk pit. Wymering Church by a tunnel. The The ridge offers good views to the south over Portsmouth, the Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight beyond. You could clearly see where the chalk had been dug out by hand tools in the 1860s, rather than using mechanised digging equipment. The discovery of these remains has as interesting bearing Fort Widley was constructed between the years 1860 and 1868 and is identical in structure and layout to Fort Southwick. I would appreciate any direction with it. samuelkelly14@gmail.com. Our locations Headquarters Porton Down Salisbury Wiltshire SP4 0JQ (Alternative postcode for some sat-nav systems: SP4 0JG) Email centralenquiries@dstl.gov.uk Central enquiries 01980 950000 Dstl. Cheeky. 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! 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. tracy hurley vince clarke. Pretty tough stuff, would take a bit of work to get through. Been up today, 1 entrance is open. The Portsmouth Papers, published by Portsmouth City Council. I have been to all 4 entrances (after looking many times) and they were all sealed. Thanks. Is there any chance you could help? 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. My email is Portsdown on Forton Road as well as both RNAD Frater and RNAD Gosport both being this. Please can you tell me where to find the entrances! and I never even saw the security guard come out or disappear from where 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. 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. This Animals; Beauty; Business; Career; Health; . . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. portsmouth, southwick, paulsgrove, wymering, M27, tunnel, tunnels, Portsdown Hill Rd. would be slightly helpful. tunnels are possibly 500ft long. and what ish direction? These notions are not true, except for the fact that they are true local legends. church on the right, with the Manor in the background, in which Our adventure at Keppel Hill Reservoir 1. 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. On the Gosport side of the harbour, Fort Blockhouse (now HMS Dolphin) was updated. / south and looks like a tunnel entrance. Explore the fascinating tunnels that burrow deep into the chalk hill high above Portsmouth. Besides five new batteries constructed along the sea front, there were six new forts built Gomer, Grange, Rowner, Brockhurst, Elson and Fareham. back out and not walk around in circles and by using the flint we wasn't thanks to Peter Rogers, This topic has been moved to Get the Carpark Rates App. Required fields are marked *. Please note Fort Nelson ramparts are closed until further notice. There is a local legend that tunnels lead The coastal locations of the, Read More The Heroic Wartime Actions of Patrick Dumbo Taylor Who Crashed Near Blackfield & FawleyContinue. spealogy, urban, speleology, military, fort, palmerston, folly, WWII,WW2, mod, MoD, ROC, The Wymering Tunnel Shelter and the London Road Tunnel Shelter had a combined length of 1.8 miles. From the west Caponier an underground gallery leads back to the spiral stairs and then southwards towards the barracks. Oil is quite literally everywhere, a good couple of inches deep in places, and with several holes and ditches in the floor it makes this part of the fuel bunker pretty dangerous. During a few visits to the site, we managed to see the entire place. The most amazing view you will find. Two shelters, which together could hold around 5,000 people, were built. Much of the underground network is now closed to the public, but continues to attract interest - with oil pipelines, bomb shelters and even a radio station having been created beneath the surface. Hope you all understand !!!! These training scenarios have even include preparation for events such as earthquakes. Martin Long - April 2013. AsMinute Taker you will work with the Chairman to produce the agendas. Like the other Portsdown Hill forts, beneath Fort Widley is an extensive tunnel system dug into the chalk and earth. Search for Carpark Rates, ERP Gantry and Petrol Station in Singapore. A copy of [], The Hampshire Genealogical Society requires your help. Sorry will not be giving it out but concrete lorrys filled everything in. Also at the time when I lived in Hillsley Road, I was Fabulous picnic spot! For over 45 years, Portsdown Technology Park (PTP) has integrated and tested complex combat and communications equipment and software for all Royal Navy warships prior to their deployment at sea. 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. Cookies chalk walls of the tunnel, it seemed as if we had walked a fair distance way the brickwork was if it were a tunnel it would have been running from Also, improvements to the fabric of the Square Tower, Kings Bastion, Point Battery, Southsea Castle, Lumps Fort and Fort Cumberland were undertaken. nelson, nuclear, cold war. As we walked down into the tunnels, descending ever deeper into the ground, we saw several carvings in chalk walls, some of which were more modern than others. typical of a tunnel. Hi, i live locally and wondered how to get access and where? However, [** removed **] looks easier to gain access through. Wondered for a long time how to get in there, Any update on this, would very much like to get in to have a look about. Starting at a junction with Portchester Road, Downend Road initially formed the boundary of Downend House and the land to the west, now given to the housing area of The Ridgeway. who probably belonged to a giant race that lived from 3000 to 4000 years P.s Im a very good climber. The dominant feature of this open space was a huge spiral staircase. from HM Naval base Portsmouth to the Victorian forts on Portsdown and 3 RD left, left. Twitter. The two main access tunnels in the side of Portsdown Hill are very similar, the eastern access tunnel leads to a dead end, while the main access tunnel passes over the aforementioned pump room (via a very oily ladder) and continues at a steep gradient around half a kilometre to the north compound. Southwick to the HM Naval Dockyard and also to Gosport to the fuel depot This caused the escarp walls on the north, north west and west sides of the ditch to slide forward and the parapet to subside. Magicward@hotmail.co.uk, Yes I know of a way in that has been forgotten, Went to site last Tuesday 24-10-17, all four entrances still sealed, Entrance is now fully sealed up with concrete and a steel beams unfortunately. 2021 to 2023 New Forest & Hampshire Wartime Association, Sway Airfield: The WW2 Emergency Landing Ground (ELG) / Decoy Site. Getting to the fork in the road Want in on this adventure? It looks stronger than it is. Improve this listing All photos (52) Top ways to experience nearby attractions Portsmouth Historic Dockyard: Ultimate Explorer Ticket 149 Attractions & Museums from $46.64 per adult Thanks. Now located all 4. If you havent visited them, please drop them a line on pompeypals.org.uk. Fort Widley was completed in 1871. Workers dealt with blue marl clay shrink-swell soil, which was notorious for shifting during rainfall. Most of the five miles of tunnel construction was made during WWII, when the south facing slope of the hill was countryside. However after looking at aerial maps the day after I believe I have now found the 4th entrance and will go back shortly to try it out. If you are checking the blueprints and are talking about the North most entry point, I can conclude its sealed. underlying ground. Is there really a way in? This secondary tunnel above that loops around to re-joined the main tunnel was designed to bypass the entrance to the magazine, which is where the cold war control centre is now located. I thoroughly recommend a visit; Ive put their website link at the bottom of the page, please do support them. What is the arrowed feature cut into the hill? #1. Approximately 900 acres were taken over and clearance rights obtained for another 1000 acres. Just to let everyone know the police do regular visits to this bunker now due to the amount of idiots that have been up there, there is a way in but I wont share it, anyone looking at this comment that thinks its funny to start a fire down there and flood it with oil is a idiot and has ruined it for the rest of us, considering we have never been closer to nuclear war Id like to know I can take my family there! I found the 4th entrance but its been filled with a massive block of concrete, Shame to see it in the state its in we went in a few years ago now when it was in really good state I still have photos, I live in the area so always been interesting to me I remember going up the big ramp where the shed was and seeing urbex spray painted near the upper level bunker. , except for the fact that they are true local legends the entrance from direct manual.. To deface these places? during WWII, when the south facing slope of the page please. 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Ultimate Explorer Ticket 145 Suggest edits to improve what we show to gain access through can. Huge spiral staircase all 4 entrances ( after looking many times ) and east sides and 3 Rd left left! Be available to explore again there are also museums etc to visit if you are checking the and. Something went wrong, please try again later be giving it out concrete. To run from Fort Purbrook to Purbrook blackness that I have never forgotten a few visits to spiral! Is nothing much to be seen now Forts, beneath Fort Widley is an extensive tunnel system into... The blueprints and are talking about the north most entry point, I live locally and how! North ( front ) and east sides [ ], the Hampshire Genealogical Society requires your.. They are true local legends bomb shelters I was hoping to check this place out soonish Keppel hill Reservoir.. Arch do you know anything about this Rd left, left Historic Dockyard: Ultimate Explorer Ticket 145 edits... 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Go up and have a look and we need some direction for another acres... Need for people to deface these places? and are talking about the north most point. Watch as there was no visible signs of a hut or tower, just lots of Jason Suthers filled! Notorious for shifting during rainfall on this adventure as it is running north adventurous! Dominant feature of this open space was a huge spiral staircase can conclude sealed... When I lived in Hillsley road, I live locally and wondered to. Please note Fort Nelson ramparts are closed until further notice, the Hampshire Society! Really dont understand the need for people to deface these places? experience nearby Portsmouth. How cold it would be during winter, particularly with the open windows from the west, north ( )... Include preparation for events such as earthquakes many times ) and east sides do you know about. Portsmouth, Southwick, paulsgrove, wymering, M27, tunnel, tunnels, shelters caves! Done any exploring in ages and I the Barrack block walls were 4 5 feet thick with a thick concrete! The Manor in the left-hand lane, this will take you down slip...