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{{short description|Royal Commission Fort built in the 1860s in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{coord|50|24|49|N|4|07|48|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}}
[[File:Crownhill Fort.jpg|thumb|right|The entrance to the fort]]
'''Crownhill Fort''' is a [[Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom|Royal Commission]] [[
==History of the fort==
Crownhill Fort was designed by Captain
Construction began in April 1863, with Crownhill Fort being at the cutting edge of fortress design, although it does conform to the standard polygonal design of its contemporaries. It was built 400 metres in front of the defensive line, now incorporated into the east-west Crownhill Road, in an exposed position
In 1866, after a strike, George Baker, the building contractor, went [[bankrupt]] and so the work was finished
In 1881, the Director of Artillery and Stores recommended that two forts, [[Fort Widley]] in [[Portsmouth]] and Crownhill Fort, be armed with complete peacetime armaments.
In the [[First World War]], Crownhill Fort was used as a recruitment and transport centre for troops being sent to the fronts in [[Turkey]] and [[Africa]]. It was then used as a de-mobilisation depot before becoming a base for the newly
The last time Crownhill Fort was
==Structure of Crownhill Fort==
The basic shape of Crownhill Fort is a [[heptagon]], incorporating many advanced Victorian fort design ideas.
===The
The
[[File:Crownhill Fort double caponier.jpg|thumb|right|The north [[caponier]] showing the [[embrasure]]s for heavy guns and the [[loophole]]s for [[small arms]] on the upper and lower levels.]]
===The
Crownhill Fort has six three-storey
==Crownhill Fort's guns==
Crownhill Fort is famous for its collection of artillery.
* a
* two
*
* four replica 32-pounder smooth-bore [[Breech-loading weapon|breech-loading]] guns dating from 1997
* two
* two muzzle-loading 32-
* a muzzle loading 2-pound cannon, from the 1790s
* a [[carronade]] made by the [[foundry]] Bailey, Pegg and Co Ltd, from [[Staffordshire]] that points towards the countermining gallery.
==The fort today==▼
Today Crownhill Fort is home to several small businesses and a holiday apartment. The Fort is open to the public on the last Friday of each month from January to November and by appointment for schools and groups at most other times. Visitors can see museum displays, watch demonstrations of Victorian firepower and take guided tours in the labyrinth of underground rooms and passages.
In the past few years [[The Landmark Trust]] has been able to carry out various improvement works at the Fort.
*In 2010 a large number of mature trees were felled on the rampart and extracted by helicopter. Left unchecked these trees would have damaged the structures under the rampart.
*2014 saw the end of a three-year project to clear self-seeded saplings on the [[counterscarp]] walls. This project has seen logging horses employed to allow the timber to be extracted and processed.
*Work to clear the Victorian Storm Drains to help alleviate flooding on the lower decks of the structure was completed in 2017.
*In 2018 work was undertaken outside the Fort to restore several concrete fence posts added in the 1920s and replace their wiring.
*Work on the Royal Artillery Store is due to begin in September 2018 to bring this derelict building back in to use as a workshop.
==External links==
*[
*[http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/crownhill.pdf Victorian Forts data sheet]
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:Forts of Plymouth, Devon]]
[[Category:Landmark Trust properties in England]]
[[Category:Museums in Plymouth, Devon]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in England]]
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