"Bastion(ˈbæstɪən IPA Pronunciation Guide) [noun]
1. a projecting work in a fortification designed to permit fire to the
flanks along the face of the wall
2. any fortified place
3. a thing or person regarded as upholding or defending an attitude,
principle, etc the last bastion of opposition.
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...and so starts a little project to amble around and discover what's left of the Lines protecting the town that's on the other side of the Harbour from Portsmouth - Gosport.. it stands to reason that these would have existed in abundance, and not inconsiderable strength, as this side of the Harbour housed the Royal Navy's victualling yards, and also their main arsenal.
But we love a map - so let's start with one... Bastion No. 1 (sometimes known as Trinity Bastion - named after the Church just north of it) is circled, North is top of page, so this Bastion was the one closest to the Harbour entrance while still remaining within the boundaries of the Harbour.
The other side of the body of water labelled Haslar Creek in the map, is where Fort Blockhouse is now sited, and this would have dominated the actual entrance, so my assumption is that Bastion No. 1 was intended for defence in depth - if anything managed to get through the entrance, this was what the Bastion was there to oppose..
So when was it first built? Most of the fortifications in both the Portsmouth and Gosport Lines originate with de Gomme (we've met him already [clicky]) and that's the case for this Bastion as well. Building probably started some time around 1678, as one part of the aforementioned Gosport Lines, and at the beginning was probably no more than a "rampart 10-11 ft. high without a parapet and a moat, partly wet and partly dry, 30 ft. wide and 11 ft. deep" (source below). It's probable, the Lines as de Gomme designed them were never actually completed (they certainly weren't when Charles II visited in 1683) - but work to complete them continued after the deaths of both de Gomme and Charles.
Second development phase kicks off in 1748, with a major redesign of the de Gomme fortifications by one John Peter Desmaretz - a master engineer, he was Architect to the Ordnance Board (he'd also served with Marlborough at one time). The work continued for 50 odd years and Bastion No. 1 was part of the last work completed, and wasn't finished until the turn of the century (1802/3'ish).
It "..mounted 14 guns in brick lined emplacements firing over the parapet. Expense magazines were built into the earth of the rampart behind the terreplein. A caponier to protect the sluice connecting the moat to Portsmouth Harbour was added ... Behind this caponier a section of the rampart and wall was used as a school of musketry".
The guns would originally have been 18 and 24pdr smoothbores (I suspect the 18's would have been replaced during the life of the Bastion, and by the end they would all have been 24's) of the type typical for Royal Navy warships of the day, but mounted on wooden or iron traversing carriages something like the following interpretation from one of the boards on the site - note the anchor pivot at the back
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| Something is not quite right with the picture based on where the actual pivots are in relation to the retaining wall/rampart in the bastion.. 😁 |
I suspect it was more like this example - with the pivot at the front...
OK - enough rambling - on with the pictures..
The bastion is on two levels - 'ground' pictures following..
- "Expense Magazine" on the left - used for preparing cartridges, filled with gunpowder - there are two of these in the bastion - one at each end... double brick lined with an air space between to keep out damp, and a raised wooden floor
- "Ready use" magazine on the right - a smaller structure, which would have held about 100 rounds of mixed type (case/cannister/round) - there are four of these spread evenly along, and construction was the same as the Expense Magazines
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| Second Expense Magazine at the eastern end of the bastion |
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| Inside the first expense magazine - the wooden floor is gone but the supports can still be seen.. note also the rare examples of Royal Artillery Mk 1 deck chairs... 😁 |
The following shows a good view of the ground level of the bastion - looking west - a further two ready-use magazines can be seen on the left.. the gun platform is above.. note the ramp at the far end to allow movement of men/munitions and guns from ground to the gun ramp - or as it is known in the parlance (fort speak), the "terreplein" 😏
There is a second ramp at the other/eastern end, but it is not part of the current bastion grounds and is pretty overgrown and separated by a fence - you can just trace the ramp by looking at the fence line..
Climbing up the ramp to the terreplein gives you the following view.. this is the rampart that faces roughly west'ish - Trinity Church on the left to allow you to orientate yourself to the map at the beginning..
The pins/swivels are in remarkable condition given they're over 200 years old
Another nice view of the terreplein, this time from the eastern end - so these guns would be facing south towards Haslar Creek
....then a scramble up on to the top - following shows the moat and front face looking roughly north west.. originally there would have been a berm at the bottom, all the way along, which was used by sentries guarding the moat
..the northwest end of the bastion is not currently accessible - the Haslar Gate would have been down there where the road is in the following. It marks the western edge of the Bastion - none of the plans show any emplacements on top of this - it was purely defensive.. the berm would have been where that rough path at the bottom is...
...and this - following - is the retaining wall behind it.. the Haslar Gate would have been where that house is
At the eastern end of the Bastion are some later additions that are not strictly part of it other than the fact that they are connected physically.. this is it following.. note the gates for access..
It was built about 1853 and was used as a musketry school, but it's primary purpose was to defend the sluice gate that would have been about where the modern bridge is... that sluice maintained the water levels in the moat.
...and here's the view of the inside of the caponier..
Last of all, I thought this - following - was good. It depicts the Bastion in, I think looking at the ships, the early 19th Century, maybe even after it was first completed.. note the retaining wall, the Vicarage (the grey building by the flag pole), and the top of the Haslar Gate (the brown square with white corners) providing access to the bridge
...and a couple of the excellent interpretation boards on site..
The death knell for the Bastion would have been the same as for the Portsmouth fortifications - the 1859 Defence Review. The Review had advised the building of replacement 'Advanced Lines' for Gosport - further out from the town due to advances in gunnery/artillery technology. Basically the same reason they started the Hilsea Lines - everything was moving further out from the thing they were defending..
It's likely the guns were removed as early as 1858, but what saved the Bastion was it's connection to Trinity Church - the Vicarage formed a major part of the rear of the Bastion (and still does - it's a very handsome building), but although it was sequestered by the Army, when the Bastion fell out of use, the Vicarage was returned to the church and the Bastion became it's private garden..
Further Reading:
Both of these are good..
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Laters, as the young people are want to say...
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