Description of the attraction
Fort Nelson is a military fortification part of the Portsdowne Forts system, built in 1860 on Portsdown Hill near the city of Portsmouth. A total of five such forts were built. Fort Nelson is a classic polygonal or Palmerston fort. Six sides of the fort are surrounded by a deep moat and protected by three caponiers. The fortification system was built in response to the military threat from France. the most important port of Portsmouth could not remain without adequate protection. During the hostilities, the fort was supposed to be about 200 volunteers under the command of several officers. From 1907 the fort was used as a barracks, in 1938 it was converted into an anti-aircraft defense warehouse, and in 1950 the military left the fort. Now it houses a branch of the Royal Armory - a collection of artillery.
Royal Armories - British National Museum of Weapons and Armor. It is the oldest museum in the United Kingdom and one of the oldest museums in the world. Here is one of the richest collections of weapons and armor in the world. The museum includes three main collections: edged weapons and armor, artillery and firearms. The museum branches are located in different cities: the Armory in Leeds, the Fort Nelson artillery museum in Portsmouth and the branch in the Tower of London, where the Armory was originally located. A small part of the collection is on display in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
The Armory has existed in the Tower, probably from the moment of its foundation. A collection of weapons was kept here, armor for the English kings was made here, and it looked more like a treasury than a museum - only occasionally honorary foreign guests were allowed here.
Over time, the museum becomes open to the public, its funds grow, and there is not enough space in the Tower to accommodate exhibits. In 1988, the artillery collection moves to Fort Nelson in Portsmouth. In 1990, the main collection of the Armory moved to Leeds, and only those exhibits that are directly related to the history of this fortress remain in the Tower.
The Fort Nelson Museum exhibits, in particular: the Bockstead Bombard - an English cannon from around 1450 that could fire 60 kg granite cannonballs; Dardanelles Cannon - Turkish bronze cannon from 1464, which could fire cannonballs up to 63 cm in diameter; French field guns captured at the Battle of Waterloo; weapons of the Crimean War; one of the Mallet's two coastal mortars - these are the largest-caliber (920 mm) smooth-bore guns, built in 1856.
