Fort Nelson
Fort Nelson was built in the 1860s, as part of a chain of fortifications protecting the great naval harbour of Portsmouth in Hampshire and its Royal Dockyard from a feared French invasion.
Covering nearly 19 acres and now fully restored, Fort Nelson sits majestically atop Portsdown Hill, with amazing views of the Solent and the Meon Valley. The Fort stands today as a monument to the skills and ingenuity of Victorian engineering and architecture.
Opened in 1995 as home to the Royal Armouries collection of artillery, Fort Nelson has over 350 big guns and historic cannon on display, all part of the national collection of arms and armour.
The displays include the Great Turkish Bombard of 1464, that once protected the Dardanelles, Saddam Hussein’s infamous ‘Supergun’ the trebuchet from the movie ‘Gladiator’ and Mallet’s Mortar one of the 3 Guinness world record holders on show.
Covering every period of history from every corner of the world the collection is brought vividly to life every day with the live firing of one of the field guns.
