High on Portsdown Hill, looking down over the whole of Portsmouth Harbour, sits a Victorian fort that now holds one of the most dramatic collections in the south. Fort Nelson is free to enter, and the team at Portsmouth And rates it as the best-value big day out around the city.
A Victorian fort with a modern job
Fort Nelson is one of the ring of forts thrown up along Portsdown Hill in the 1860s, built on the orders of Lord Palmerston to defend the naval dockyard from an attack by land. The feared invasion never came, which earned the whole chain the nickname Palmerston Follies.
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Today the fort has a new purpose as the artillery branch of the Royal Armouries, the national museum of arms and armour. The grim walls that were meant to repel an army now shelter big guns gathered from across the centuries and around the world.
Guns, tunnels and firings
There are more than 19 acres to explore, from the grassy ramparts down into cool underground tunnels and magazines where ammunition was once stored. It is a proper warren, and children tend to love the sense of going behind the scenes.
The collection runs from a 15th-century Turkish bombard to a 200-tonne railway howitzer, and takes in the infamous Big Babylon supergun built for Saddam Hussein. The fort is also well known for its live gun-firing displays, which send a bang rolling out across the hillside.
When you need a break there is a cafe on site and a programme of changing exhibitions, so no two visits feel quite the same.
If you can, build your day around the guns rather than just hoping to catch them.
Check the firing times when you arrive and plan the tunnels and ramparts around them, because the firing is the thing most people remember.
Even without a firing, the view alone from the ramparts is worth the climb up the hill.
Planning your visit
Fort Nelson is on Portsdown Hill Road, PO17 6AN, above Fareham and a short drive from the centre of Portsmouth. Admission is free, though booking a slot online is sensible at weekends and in the school holidays.
Parking is free for Royal Armouries members and paid for everyone else, and there are extra guided tours of the outer defences and the tunnels for a small charge on top of free entry. Allow at least a couple of hours to do the place justice.
For a place that was designed to keep people out, Fort Nelson is a surprisingly welcoming day. Free entry, serious firepower and a view over the whole harbour make it one of the easiest recommendations on our list.
