Palmerston Forts – Part 3 – Fort Nelson
A view of the lamp room contrasts with that of the nearby Bypass Tunnel. The banana-shaped Bypass Tunnel simply links two sections of the main tunnel with each other. It was was reasoned that soldiers heading to the North Caponier wearing hobnailed boots might cause an explosion, thus the Bypass Tunnel allowed the troops to avoid the area entirely.
The main tunnel slopes upwards to the South, towards the main barracks, and contains this lengthy conveyor belt, which was added during World War II, during which the Fort housed and supplied several Anti-Aircraft Batteries protecting Portsmouth from German air raids.
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And into the daylight again. This area is simply known as "The Street" and is the main thoroughfare for transit between the buildings at the rear of the Fort and the three tunnels.
And finally, a place to get clean after all that walking around – the washroom for the lower ranks. Now get scrubbed up!
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In my next article, we will take a look at some of the other areas within Nelson, as well as the modern-day use of the structure, and examine some of the exhibits on display in the Royal Armouries Museum housed within the Fort. I hope you will join me then.
Links:
To view the complete set of images from my visit, go to the ACG image gallery here.
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A J Summersgill
