Fort Fareham - Design and Construction

Design and Construction

Fort Fareham is located on land immediately to the west of Salterns Creek, adjacent to the railway line (which it also protected) from Fareham to Gosport which passed its northeast corner. It is 3,500 yards in advance of Fort Elson, the most northerly fort of the Gosport Advanced Lines. Fort Fareham acted as the link between the Portsdown Hill line of forts and was visible from Fort Wallington which is 2,500 yards to the North and East. The strategically important town of Fareham town and Fareham creek lie in between the two. Fort Fareham was also to provide protection for the road linking Gosport to the Portsdown Forts. Due to the need to protect the ground in front of the Gosport Advanced Line and because of its isolated position Fort Fareham was constructed as a polygonal work with a strong ability to defend itself from being overrun. Its position made an attack on the Gosport Lines very hazardous without it first being captured or disabled.

The construction of the fort was begun in 1861 and the fort was declared complete in 1868 at a cost of £104,557. The report of the 1869 Defence Committee concluded that Fort Farham was '...skilfully constructed as regards stability and permanency and when completed according to the approved plans will be suited to the requirements of modern armaments, and when its ditch was filled with water would afford a fair amount of resistance to any attack to which it may be exposed.'

In trace Fort Fareham is a pentagon with a west facing rampart for the main armament and a north flanking rampart with armament to command the Fareham gap towards Fort Wallington. The ramparts to the south were subject to enfilade fire and were therefore given a greater measure of protection by hiding the guns in a complex range of Haxo casemates. This fort is the only one of the Palmerston Forts to receive such a concentration of Haxo casemates. The fort is surrounded by a ditch that was intended to be wet but problems with obtaining and holding water in this meant that for much of its life the northern portion remained dry. The ditch is ably protected by a grand caponier to the west with smaller demi-caponiers at the north, southwest and south salient angles. A decision was made in the later stages of construction that resulted in the choice of a redan at the rear, closing the gorge of the fort, rather than a self contained keep, like those of the inner three forts of the Gosport Advanced Line.