Fort Picklecombe
Fort Picklecombe is a former coastal fortification in the county of Cornwall in Great Britain . The former fort, protected as a Grade II cultural monument, is located southwest of Plymouth and two kilometers northeast of Kingsand on the Rame Peninsula .
history
To protect the port of Plymouth and the Devonport naval base , the Committee of Harbor Defences recommended the construction of three coastal fortifications along Plymouth Sound in 1844 . In addition to Eastern King and Staddon Point , Fort Picklecombe was built in 1849 as a coastal artillery position at the foot of a cliff. The system was fortified with a trench against attacks from land, the 3 56-pounder and 6 32-pounder muzzle-loading guns were set up behind earth walls. In 1858, on the basis of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Defense of the United Kingdom, it was proposed to expand the fortification as part of the new fort belt around Plymouth . The design from 1860 provided for a semicircular, two- story granite casemate below the previous fortification , which was to be equipped with 42 110-pounders and 68-pounders. The cannons were to be protected by iron shields and the crew was to consist of 200 men. Together with the southern Cawsand Battery , the Breakwater Fort and Fort Bovisand on the east bank of the Plymouth Sound, Fort Picklecombe should form the outer defensive ring of Plymouth. The fortification was built from 1864 to 1871, and the guns were tested in 1872. Over the next few years, the fort was further modernized with telegraphs and other facilities. In 1885 the fort received new armament consisting of 18 BL 10-inch gun Mk I - IV guns, 14 9-inch guns and 4 7-inch guns. Since these guns quickly became obsolete, the armament was reduced to 21 guns in 1898. In defense of applied in the case of defense minefield the fort received 1,902 6 12-pounder quick-firing guns , which in 1907 against 2 BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun were exchanged. These guns formed the armament of the fort during the First World War. They were dismantled and stored in the 1920s, but reinstalled during the Second World War and used as training guns. In 1956 the military use of the fort ended. The complex fell into disrepair until it was converted into an apartment building with 103 apartments in the 1970s.
The former coastal fortification is directly adjacent to Mount Edgcumbe Country Park . The facility is privately inhabited and cannot be visited.
investment
The fort consists of a semicircular, two-story casemate at sea level and a three-story barracks building on the slope. Three residential floors were built into the former casemate, and the building was increased by two new, recessed attic storeys. Several staircases were added to the inner courtyard, and the inner courtyard itself was converted into a garden. The former barracks are located above the casemate. At the request of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , who made the building plot available, this building was built in the historicizing Tudor style in 1848 , as it borders the deer park of Mount Edgcumbe House and was visible from the driveway along the coast. The building, which is perpendicular to the casemate, has two corner towers, the northern one with battlements. The outer wall between the towers was lightly attached to the main gate as a curtain wall. After 2000 it was also converted into apartments.
Web links
- The National Heritage List for England: Fort Picklecombe
- Pastscape: Fort Picklecombe
- Victorian Forts: Fort Picklecombe (PDF; 3.32 MB)
- Plymouth South Western Defenses
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History: Palmerston's Forts and Batteries. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008 ; accessed on March 31, 2013 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 20 ′ 37 " N , 4 ° 10 ′ 20" W