Abandoned fort in Essex could become tourist attraction

An abandoned coastal fort which boasts six gun emplacements, concrete pill boxes and an observation tower has been bought by two friends who want to open it to the public. Beacon Hill Fort in the port town of Harwich, Essex was built in 1889 in response to the threat of German sea power. It was one of the first to use prototype “invisible” defences, with guns mounted on disappearing carriages in pits. The barrels sprang up above the pits for a few seconds to fire then recoiled out of sight for reloading. More than 20 buildings are dotted around the five-acre site and they are connected by a network of tunnels. The fort was modified during the First and Second World Wars, then it went into reduced status after 1945. It was abandoned after 1956 as the War Office said improvements in military jet aircraft and the advent of guided missiles had rendered coastal defences obsolete. Its guns were removed, and it has been in private ownership since the 1970s. The fort’s buildings are now ivy-covered, the site is overrun with brambles and much of the concrete has been daubed with graffiti. Friends Paul Valentine and Barry Sharp have bought Beacon Hill Fort for an undisclosed sum and want to breathe new life into it. “We want to get the space opened for Harwich,” said Mr Valentine. “It’s been locked up for so long.” He said one idea for the site, which remains closed to the public at present, was for an outdoor centre “like a Center Parcs”. While the surviving structures are predominantly from the two World Wars, the history of the site stretches further back. A Tudor blockhouse was built in 1543 but was largely lost to the sea, and there are archaeological traces of a Napoleonic battery and a practice battery built in 1871. The “invisible” defences were built in 1889, with a low artificial hill behind the guns to provide an apparently natural back-drop and to hide ammunition stores and officers’ accommodation. The observation tower was painted to look like a bl
An abandoned coastal fort which boasts six gun emplacements, concrete pill boxes and an observation tower has been bought by two friends who want to open it to the public. Beacon Hill Fort in the port town of Harwich, Essex was built in 1889 in response to the threat of German sea power. It was one of the first to use prototype “invisible” defences, with guns mounted on disappearing carriages in pits. The barrels sprang up above the pits for a few seconds to fire then recoiled out of sight for reloading. More than 20 buildings are dotted around the five-acre site and they are connected by a network of tunnels. The fort was modified during the First and Second World Wars, then it went into reduced status after 1945. It was abandoned after 1956 as the War Office said improvements in military jet aircraft and the advent of guided missiles had rendered coastal defences obsolete. Its guns were removed, and it has been in private ownership since the 1970s. The fort’s buildings are now ivy-covered, the site is overrun with brambles and much of the concrete has been daubed with graffiti. Friends Paul Valentine and Barry Sharp have bought Beacon Hill Fort for an undisclosed sum and want to breathe new life into it. “We want to get the space opened for Harwich,” said Mr Valentine. “It’s been locked up for so long.” He said one idea for the site, which remains closed to the public at present, was for an outdoor centre “like a Center Parcs”. While the surviving structures are predominantly from the two World Wars, the history of the site stretches further back. A Tudor blockhouse was built in 1543 but was largely lost to the sea, and there are archaeological traces of a Napoleonic battery and a practice battery built in 1871. The “invisible” defences were built in 1889, with a low artificial hill behind the guns to provide an apparently natural back-drop and to hide ammunition stores and officers’ accommodation. The observation tower was painted to look like a bl
COMPRAR UMA LICENÇA

Informe quando, onde e como deseja usar este arquivo para receber ofertas de preço personalizadas.

DETALHES

ID Editorial:
922445522
Coleção:
PA Media
Data da criação:
20 de fevereiro de 2018
Data do upload:
Tipo de licença:
Direitos prontos
Info sobre autorização:
Sem autorização Mais informações
Duração do clipe:
00:04:14:07
Local:
United Kingdom
Masterizado em:
QuickTime 8-bit Photo-JPEG HD 1920x1080 25p
Fonte:
PA Media
Nome do objeto:
tvt_pa-28796.mov