Fort Nelson, an impressive fortress that today serves as an artillery museum

Portsmouth, in southern England, is a coastal city linked to the history of warships since the Middle Ages.

Mimoyecques, the fortress from which Hitler wanted to raze London with huge cannons
The interior of two well-preserved Third Reich batteries on a British island

That city is home to the world's oldest naval base, in fact, as it has been active since the late 12th century. Currently, Portsmouth is the British Royal Navy's largest naval base and the site of its headquarters. Defending it has been a major challenge throughout history.

In 1860, when relations with France were dire, the United Kingdom began constructing five forts to protect that naval base: Fort Nelson, Fort Fareham, Fort Wallington, Fort Southwick, and Fort Southwick. Fort Nelson was completed in 1867 and was named for its location near the Nelson Monument on Portsdown Hill (pictured below), which had been built in 1808 to honor the famous British naval officer Horatio Nelson, who had died three years earlier.

Fort Nelson is a polygonal Palmerston-style fort featuring six sides and a deep ditch defended by three caponiers, each armed with a 13-inch mortar. The fortification housed a garrison of 200 soldiers; its arming process was not completed until 1890, and it was disarmed in 1907, subsequently serving merely as a troop barracks. In 1938, it was converted into an ammunition depot, before finally being abandoned in the 1950s.

This historic Victorian fortress, featuring formidable masonry walls, spent more than two decades abandoned and fell victim to all manner of vandalism. In 1979, Fort Nelson was acquired by Hampshire County Council, and a restoration process began that culminated in 1994 with its conversion into a museum.

In 1995, Fort Nelson became part of the Royal Armouries, the United Kingdom's national museum of arms and armour. Covering an area of ​​77,000 square metres, it now operates as a museum specialising in artillery, housing highly valuable historical pieces. Notable examples include historic cannons from various countries—such as the Dardanelles Gun (a massive Ottoman bronze bombard cast in 1464, pictured above) and components of the famous Project Babylon (Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi supergun)—as well as the only surviving BL 18-inch gun of the five built by the Elswick Ordnance Company in 1920 for the British Army; these were 85.7-tonne, 457.2 mm calibre railway guns that remained in service until 1945.

Fort Nelson boasts very well-preserved facilities and tunnels; in addition to displaying cannons, the site offers other attractions of interest to military enthusiasts, including exhibitions and historical reenactment events.

Fort Nelson is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. You can find more information on its official website. Recently, VacantHaven released an interesting video featuring a visit to this fortress and its museum:

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Photos: Royal Armouries Fort Nelson.