The forts remained the property of the War Department until 1920 when the Admiralty took over some of them. In-fill, covering a fault in the Tenure: Not available. 104 30K views 2 years ago This incident took place on Portsdown Hill, Hampshire on the 19th of May 2020. the bed of the ditch at the front of Fort Nelson (the North side) is a to the Sea Forts in the Solent. Facebook. In 1952 the fort became home to a bomb disposal squadron and a year later an emergency civil control centre for Portsmouth was constructed in the forts magazine. some variation at the entrance and exit. would welcome any contributions that would conclusively prove it To ensure nobody is found dead in them. If you rotate that map 90 and just overlay it, itll all become very clear. Each fort was designed as a self sufficient unit and connecting tunnels would Take the exit sign posted for Gosport and Fareham. Did a New Forest Coven of Witches Help Stop the German Invasion? chalkpit, chalk pit. slightly and with the use of a torch we tried to see what was inside. Went here recently, can confirm that the two southern entrances are still tightly secured with huge metal doors with metal wire crates filled with small rocks to block access to the doors. 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. Checked the main tunnels but couldnt get in. It is running north Against advice, the decision to build the forts proceeded in the same year. jake.davi@yahoo.co.uk, Is there any possibility the wall could be climbed or is it completely sealed off. Theres 4 entrances in total, Baz. | During World War 2 it housed the Royal Engineers and a bomb disposal headquarters. At just over 3,500 feet, it's a long way through the tunnel. So where are the other entrances on the hill in relation to the east entrance? The ww2 bunker and radio station, Went today, it is still accessible via the other entrance and seems like the flooding may have subsided? Used by a charitable trust as an outdoor activities centre. There are four entrances to the fuel bunkers, officially labelled North Compound, Top Entrance, Main Access Tunnel & Access Tunnel. Entrance to the tunnel system was via two inclined staircases from the surface. 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. 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 . Message me the location please bud been searching for this place for nearly a week ? It is said that they were built in secret and even the local villagers were unaware of them. 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. No idea Shane, its been years since I visited the site Im afraid. Would do but not local, never been there and a long way to go and fail. bunkers, and until that time I didn't know they existed, always saw the Thanks, ("South Seas"), HM Naval Base and the Credits generated a Mandai T15 Trail. 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. Dravenrotharg@gmail.com if you can help please! Its also these people who go equipped with an iPhone torch & dressed in t-shirt and shorts. Access to abandoned locations changes daily! bayley2828@icloud.com, Is there still a way in thats all I need to know. who probably belonged to a giant race that lived from 3000 to 4000 years was surprised on how big they are inside once you drive into the hill The carvings were names etched into the walls, some dates, and some rudimentary attempts at pictures. 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. Besides five new batteries constructed along the sea front, there were six new forts built Gomer, Grange, Rowner, Brockhurst, Elson and Fareham. Where are the other 2, are they on the north slope of the hill? Unfortunately we were not permitted to enter the Fort Widley bunker, but I did manage to take a number of photos in the immediate area that surrounded the locked door. Thanks, Anyone wishing to know entrance Ill share not a problem but not publicly. Get the Carpark Rates App. Portsmouth. having also gone to Purbrook Park school I have a few comments. - [Has anyone heard of this? The most amazing view you will find. DTC. We now walked into a different tunnel. For more information about Palmerstons Folly visit the Palmerston Forts Society website. m.woodyer@hotmail.com if anyone wants to point me in the right direction. All are sealed. Sorry to be blunt but thats all there is to it! Id like to go this weekend. PT's Kittatinny Tunnel entrance design "TURN LIGHTS ON" for safety. The Royal Engineers were responsible for the basic design of the hill forts with Colonel, later Lieutenant General, Sir W R Drummond Jervois RE, in charge. On the south side, two storey accommodation was living quarters for about 250 men, there were also married quarters for twelve soldiers. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. The Portsdown Hill Countryside Officer is based as Fort Widley, Portsdown Hill Road. Winchester Hi, i live locally and wondered how to get access and where? Dirtbiker1@hotmail.com. typical of a tunnel. The hike from the parking lot to Rays Hill Tunnel is a gentle uphill walk. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. Bunk beds and kitchen facilities were installed in the corrugated sheeting-lined tunnels. Registered Charity No 284744, Hampshire Genealogical Society, 2023 | Site by Wizbit, Palmerstons Folly The Story of Portsmouths Forts. One day, being as inquisitive as young boys are, we managed to prise the top of the door open Martin Long - April 2013. Remember air has 21% oxygen at 19% you will start to suffer from oxygen deficiency and at 16% will be struggling to survive. The If anyone is going, drop me a line as I would be up for a look round. Luckily I have experienced being down there before :D. Aaaah, youll be surprised by the local chavs resolve. 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. Horsham. This was the entrance to the Fort Widley tunnels. Portsdown. Nicky19802010@hitmail.co.uk, Any chance you could email me about this place regarding entrances. what were metal doors with "MOD Property - Do Not Enter" metal signs on, It looks stronger than it is. We shortly came out of the first tunnel to an open area. didn't seem to be back-filled as they felt quite solid, but we came some 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. "As the years went by I still quietly absorbed information. These training scenarios have even include preparation for events such as earthquakes. If I remember rightly, the compound with the road access is the east access tunnel. hear noises and feel vibrations, even before the M27 was built and was Interested in this property? These notions are not true, except for the fact that they are 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! Learn how your comment data is processed. Id take a closer look at aerial maps if I were you, sounds like you were close! 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. 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. 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. Excelsior Tunnel. The Navy used it for radar in 1947, and a Navigational School until 1968. ft*. Now located all 4. There is still a way in? Is there any more entrances any one has found? Gray New - June 2009. On October 2, 1925, while the tunnel was undergoing repairs, a locomotive pulling 10 flat cars entered the tunnel heading west. 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? photo site location Panoramic The Excelsior mine sett at one time embraced much of the Kit Hill area, just over a mile N. E. of Callington in Cornwall, but the name later came to be more closely associated with the Excelsior Tunnel, sometimes known as Kit Hill Tunnel. The platforms on the inner side of the rampart were for additional guns firing over the parapet. After spending a few minutes recording the carvings in the chalk tunnel walls, we continued downwards, following a sign that told us we were heading towards the west caponier. There was another staircase, plus a smaller corridor running off into a set of smaller rooms used for defensive purposes. 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. shelter, shelters, airaid, air-raid, air raid, civil defence, widley, purbrook, The main tunnels which appear to have more stuff in are well and truly shut up now (properly locked and welded shut) however the radio tunnel in the side of the white cliffs is still accessible (but hard . Animals; Beauty; Business; Career; Health; . With UPDATE: !!!! Did you only try the 2 fronts or did you try one of the other 2? Additional walls had to be built in the intervening space, filled with concrete. Is there anyone that can give me a postcode for this? | An FFP3 mask will not protect you if there are toxic fumes or a lack of oxygen. 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. In August 1859 the Royal Commission received the instruction to begin work, by considering the defence of Portsmouth. There are stories of two other tunnels to those you mention :- one between April 9,1930: Thank you. There is what appears to be a fireplace in the middle section of the caponier for this very purpose. Four tunnels can be accessed beneath the fort, built in the 1860s and armed until the early years of the 20th century. 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. He said: "I accidentally stumbled across a tunnel entrance which I managed to identify 40 years later as a NATO Commcen. Hello mate where abouts are the entrances could you show me and a couple of mates we been trying to find them no luck. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. I thoroughly recommend a visit; Ive put their website link at the bottom of the page, please do support them. 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. 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 Wymering Church by a tunnel. Any italicised comments in [] brackets are mine. East of I was suddenly a lot more aware of the tonnes of chalk, rock, and earth that was above our heads. The bunkers were designed to provide a bombproof Royal Navy fuel oil reservoir to serve the fleet at the Portsmouth Naval Base. After finding the site about "Portsdown Tunnels", I found merchant, and there was a delivery that was for the builders at the fuel You can easily imagine how cold it would be during winter, particularly with the open windows from the flanking gallery. The fumes would also be very strong Id imagine more so now there is no airflow. Hi please may you direct me in how to enter this bunker? practice. 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 . Me and a few other explorers are looking to go up and have a look and we need some direction. The Fort Widley tunnels are rarely open to the public. But when I was in my teens, some friends and I decided to Rather than white-washed brick walls, the tunnel was now bare chalk. Opening the door into the Fort Widley tunnels on Portsdown Hill. Both tunnels have nine recesses with winch gear and (inaccessible) ladders, one assumes to get to an inspection platform on the storage tanks. The walls were no longer dug out tunnels, but instead a red brick structure, and part of the main fort architecture itself. - Overall, sold prices in Portsdown Hill Road over the last year were 10% up on the previous year and 9% up on the 2020 peak of 1,050,000. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. The escarp is about 10 15 feet thick, backed by earthwork and surmounted by a rampart. Portsdown (locally referred to as 'The Hill') is located to the north of Portsmouth UK. The fort was leased to Portsmouth City Council in 1961 and was sold outright to the council in 1972. Wymering from HM Naval base Portsmouth to the Victorian forts on Portsdown and Get Involved. 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. 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. Also please be aware this site is actually fairly dangerous once inside please if anyone is going you MUST wear protective clothing and footwear and be cautious. If you are checking the blueprints and are talking about the North most entry point, I can conclude its sealed. Work to prepare the site started - and finished - in 1942 and provided the Armed Forces with a bombproof HQ to oversee its plans. Twitter. There was an old article in the World's News (Sydney) - Is there any chance you could help? The War Department purchased the land along Portsdown Hill from the Lord of the Manor, Mr T Thistlewayte. The sludge meant that they were unsuitable for alternative use. The tunnels beneath Fort Widley do have an atmosphere to them. Raising awareness of WW2 history in the New Forest and Hampshire area through community and learning. Ive looked online and everyone is saying its all sealed up? marked the tunnels walls with flint, with arrows so we could find our way I dont know if this bears any relevance but its bothered me for years. Please book your free ticket in advance to guarantee your visit and pay for parking on arrival at the reception desk. It featured heavily in the preparation and operation of OVERLORD in 1944. That was it, I was hooked. The barrack block walls were 4 - 5 feet thick with a thick reinforced concrete roof. 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? Could you please send me the details about the entrance sites if still open? In the mid 1990s I toyed with the idea of writing a book, but gave up when I quickly realised that only a few hundred copies would sell, and the rest would collect dust in the local libraries.". end. Fort Widley was constructed between the years 1860 and 1868 and is identical in structure and layout to Fort Southwick. 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. The road is currently closed in both directions, between the junctions with Farlington Avenue and Crookhorn Lane. Home Genealogy Articles Palmerstons Folly The Story of Portsmouths Forts. the sailing club as this is in direct line from the hill to the dockyard. Thanks. Not going to have much luck finding a PPF3 mask right now! Where is this entrance. Where did you get that map? Tunnels. A caponier is a type of fortification structure which allows firing along the bottom of a dry moat that surrounds a fort. RM 2JTBFYJ - Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson. the Crookhorn Pass was being built - the big chalk scar in the Good luck though If you do head up that way, let us know if its unblocked! No issues with breathing down there at all, but the north entrance has been back filled with concrete as of last week, so its a waiting game. 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. blackness that I have never forgotten. 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