Scheduled Monuments›England›Spitbank Fort

Spitbank Fort

England
List entry 1018587
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1018587
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.16 hectares
Grid reference
SZ 63634 97155
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Spitbank Fort is a mid-nineteenth century coastal defence fortress constructed in the Solent off Portsmouth, Hampshire. Built between 1861 and 1872, it forms part of the comprehensive system of fortifications commissioned by the War Office under the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom to protect Portsmouth Harbour against potential attack by ironclad warships. The fort consists of a polygonal granite and concrete structure mounted on a foundation of wooden piles driven into the seabed, a distinctive engineering solution to the challenging conditions of the Solent. Despite modifications and adaptations throughout the twentieth century, Spitbank Fort remains a substantial surviving example of Victorian sea fort architecture and defence strategy.

Spitbank Fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1018587. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Spitbank Fort?

Spitbank Fort is a mid-nineteenth century coastal defence fortress constructed in the Solent off Portsmouth, Hampshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1018587.

Who is responsible for protecting Spitbank Fort?

Spitbank Fort is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1018587.

What other scheduled monuments are near Spitbank Fort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 340m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery (10.8 km), Bowl barrow 220m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery (10.8 km), Bowl barrow 390m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery (10.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Spitbank Fort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Spitbank Fort's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Bowl barrow 340m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery
10.8 km
Bowl barrow 220m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery
10.8 km
Bowl barrow 390m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery
10.9 km
Three pillow mounds 540m north east of sea mark on Ashey Down
11 km
Bowl barrow 370m east of Eaglehead Copse, forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery
11 km
Bowl barrow and part of a later enclosure 490m north east of sea mark, the barrow forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Ashey Down
11 km
Two bowl barrows forming part of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery, and part of a field system east of Eaglehead Copse
11 km
Two pillow mounds 400m ENE of sea mark on Ashey Down
11.1 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Spitbank Fort

Spitbank Fort stands on Eocene claystone, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is claystone.

The wider landscape

Around Spitbank Fort

Fishbourne Roman PalaceArchaeological site · ~13.2 milesChichesterRoman town · ~14.7 milesWinchesterRoman town · ~22.2 milesBattle of Cheriton 1644Battle (1644) · ~20.3 miles
Domesday entry for Alverstoke, Hampshire →
All Scheduled Monuments