1st Orkney RGA Volunteer Officers & Sergeants, circa 1902                
East Gate, Fort Nelson                
Isle of Wight Artillery Malitia at Carisbrooke Castle                 
6inch BL HP, Fort Taiaroa, Dunedin, New Zealand                
PAV operate the 8-inch shell gun at Pendennis Castle, Falmouth                
7 inch RBL on reproduction Moncrieff carriage, Crownhill Fort, Plymouth                
Gloucester Artillery Volunteers, circa 1860                
Spitbank Fort, Portsmouth, circa 1888                
Portsdown Artillery Volunteers and 32 pr SBBL, Fort Nelson                
Antrim Artillery Volunteers at Carrickfergus Castle, Ulster                

Meetings / Events

23/05/2012 - What The Papers Said: Fort Nelson - 1860 to 1900
A talk by Phil Magrath, Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson
 
27/06/2012 - Fort St. Elmo, Malta
A presentation by John Cartwright
 
25/07/2012 - The Diving Museum, No 2 Battery Stokes Bay
PFS Outside Visit to the Diving Museum located at No 2 Battery, Stokes Bay
 

News

On Friday 27th April a few PFS members were privileged to be invited out to Spitbank Fort by the owners Clarenco to see the results of their labours over the last two years of converting the Fort into a five star private hotel.
...> read more
 
PFS member Colm Doyle tells us that Fort Camden, Cork, featured in an RTE 1 programme 'dirty old town'. The program shows what can happen if local residents get together to tidy up or restore a run down part of their town. ...> read more
 
 

Join Us

The Palmerston Forts Society welcomes new members, so if you have an interest in joining the Society, perhaps even firing the Victorian guns, then find out more.....
 
> find out more

Welcome

The Palmerston Forts Society was formed in 1984 and brings together enthusiasts who have an active interest in nineteenth century military fortifications and associated artillery worldwide, but particularly within Hampshire, and is focussed on the ring of forts that protected Portsmouth.
 
The Society is based at Fort Nelson, Fareham, in one of the Great Portsdown Forts built during the 1860’s to defend Portsdown Hill from occupation by an invading army. Had an enemy been positioned on the hill, then Portsmouth harbour and dockyard would have been vulnerable to artillery fire. 
 
Today Fort Nelson is run by Royal Armouries as their Museum of Artillery, and has recently undergone a multi-million pound redevelopment transforming it to museum for the 21st century.