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Shoreham Fort |
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History One
good example of why there should have been defences and why, probably, the
fort was built is confirmed by an incident in 1628. Some French ships
navigated their way into Shoreham harbour, whilst in the harbour they
managed to capture a small craft. Without any sort of defence at the time,
the attack caused great alarm and commotion and men were despatched to During
tensions in the Napoleonic period, new batteries were built at Bognor,
Selsey and other previously unfortified places. But still Shoreham was
left defenceless and no special preparations were thought necessary to
build defences at that time, although in 1801 500 troops were deployed to
defend or even destroy, if required, the In
1816 the wandering exit of the river Adur was finally stabilised between
two piers in the same positions they are today. This then helped increase
the trade and commercial use of the harbour. So in the 1850’s when
French intentions caused apprehension, it was then apparently decided to
man and defend the harbour mouth, with a permanent fort so the newly
constructed harbour entrance, as it was then, was the selected site for
Shoreham Fort, just on the wide spit of shingle immediately to the west.
This was so that the guns could defend and command the harbour entrance,
its approaches and the beach. |
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