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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]] [[Fort]] built in the 1860s in [[Crownhill]] as part of [[Lord Palmerston]]'s ring of land defences for [[Plymouth]]. Restored by the [[Landmark Trust]], it is now home to several small businesses,
==History of the fort==
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Crownhill Fort was designed by Captain [[Edmund Frederick Du Cane]] as one of [[Lord Palmerston]]'s last forts and was the largest of the forts of [[Plymouth]]'s North Eastern defences, whose purpose was to defend the Royal Dockyard at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]] from the possibility of a [[France|French]] attack, under the leadership of [[Napoleon III]].
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
In 1866, after a strike, George Baker, the building contractor, went [[bankrupt]] and so the work was finished by the [[Royal Engineers]] who would become Crownhill Fort's first occupants. The total cost of the construction was £76,409; a large sum at the time, but much less costly than other Palmerston forts.
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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. None of the original armament survives but [[The Landmark Trust]] has reinstated several [[artillery]] pieces similar to those that would have occupied Forts of this kind.
Due to continual advancement in weaponry and warfare many [[Victorian era|Victorian]]
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 created [[Royal Signals Corps]].
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 fort is surrounded by a dry ditch
[[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. The [[cannon]] are maintained in working order and are fired on event days to recreate the sounds and atmosphere of a working fortress. In total, the fort has emplacements for
* a
* two
* two [[SBBL 32
* four replica 32-
* 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 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.
*
*
*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]]
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