Brean Down Fort
| Brean Down Fort | |
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| Somerset, England | |
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 Brean Down Fort
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| Coordinates | 51°19′38.03″N 3°02′00.08″W / 51.3272306°N 3.0333556°WCoordinates: 51°19′38.03″N 3°02′00.08″W / 51.3272306°N 3.0333556°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | National Trust |
| Open to the public |
The site remains unlocked at all times, with volunteers manning buildings on summer weekends and Mon, Wed, Fri in summer school holidays |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1864–1871 rearmed in World War II |
| In use | 1871–1901, 1940–1945 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Coast Brigade, Royal Artillery |
Brean Down Fort was built 60 feet (18 m) above sea level on the headland at Brean Down, 9 miles (14 km) south of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England.
The site has a long history, because of its prominent position. The earliest recorded settlement is from the Early to Middle Bronze Age.
The current buildings were constructed in the 1860s as one of the Palmerston Forts to provide protection to the ports of the Bristol Channel, and was decommissioned in 1901. During World War II it was rearmed and used for experimental weapons testing.
The site has been owned by the National Trust since 2002, following a £431,000 renovation project, as part of its Brean Down property and is open to the public.
The fort was used as a location for filming of the second episode, "Warriors", of the BBC television drama Bonekickers.
The earliest record settlement is from the Early to Middle Bronze Age. It is now on an exposed cliff as the land has been eroded by the sea. Bronze Age artefacts from the site include pottery and jewellery. Most of the finds are now in the Museum of Somerset in Taunton. The presence of a probable roundhouse has also been detected.
The site has also produced Roman gold and silver coins of the emperors Augustus, Nero, Drusus and Vespasian and a cornelian ring.
Brean Down Fort forms part of a line of defences, known as Palmerston Forts, built across the channel to protect the approaches to Bristol and Cardiff. It was fortified following a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to France, where they had been concerned at the strength of the French Navy. The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, under direction of Lord Palmerston, recommended fortification of the coast. Brean Down Fort formed part of a strategic coastal defence system covering the channel between the mainland and the islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm.
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Wikipedia