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This article is about Fort Nelson near Portsmouth, England. For other places with a similar name, see Fort Nelson Fort Nelson is one of five defensive Fort s built on the summit of Portsdown Hill , England in 1860s , overlooking the important naval base of Portsmouth . Now fully restored, it has been part of the Royal Armouries since 1995, housing their collection of artillery, including the Great Turkish Bombard used at Dardanelles in 1464 and parts of the famous Iraqi ' Project Babylon ' Gulf War -era supergun. HISTORY Fort Nelson is on of five Portsdown Forts. Built as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission by Lord Palmerston to prevent a land attack on the Portsmouth dockyard only 8 kilometres away, because the older Hilsea Lines at the bottom of the ridge were considered insufficient. A series of 5 forts were built along the 7 miles (10 km) of the ridge. From west to east they are forts Fareham, Wallington, Nelson, Southwick and Widley. The line was finished off at the eastern end with Crookhorn Redoubt and Farlington Redoubt. A garrison of around 200 volunteers accompanied by regular army officers would have manned the fort in time of war. Fort Nelson remained in some use by the MOD until it was abandoned in the 1950s . Following a fire caused by vandalism in 1988 it was reclaimed by the MOD and sold to Hampshire County Council for £50,000. Hampshire County Council restored it at a cost of £3-4million, and it opened to the public in 1994, becoming part of the Royal Armouries in 1995. The collection also includes the 'Boxted Bombard', an English wrought iron cannon from around 1450, which was powerful enough to fire a 60 kg granite ball, French field guns captured at the battle of Waterloo and fortress guns from India and China. SITE The fort covers around 19 acres and is open all year round, with no charges except for some special events. Live firing demonstrations are held every day, costumed guides, video presentations, and visitors are able to explore the tunnels that run below the fort connecting the magazines with gun emplacements. There are displays demonstrating the living and working conditions of the soldiers who manned the fort, and views over Portsmouth , the Solent , Hayling Island and Gosport , with the Isle Of Wight beyond. SOURCES
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