"Fort Gilkicker will be better seen" under amended plans to bring the site back to life
Changes have been proposed to plans to transform a Victorian abandoned Fort into new homes which will mean it will be better seen by the public, and feature public artwork at its entrance.
Fort Gilkicker in Gosport has been long languishing on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, but is now undergoing a remarkable transformation led by a dedicated, locally rooted team that is breathing new life into its massive masonry, vaulted casemates, and layered military history.
The fort off Stokes Bay is in the process of being remodelled into 22 homes utilising the Casemates - with the two-storey fort being transformed, and a third additional light and airy storey being added to the new repaired roof where guns were once placed.
However, amended plans have now been submitted to Gosport Borough Council seeking permission to reduce the height of the viewing mounds on either side of the gorge face of the fort on the north side which will mean that more of the fort will be seen. The plans also proposed to relocate the proposed interpretation area from inside the fort to into a café which is being created in the artillery store near the fort’s entrance.
On top of this, public artwork is also being proposed which the developer said was an “added benefit” for the area.
The application said: “As an added public benefit the revised scheme will incorporate new public art installations that creatively reuse the original iron shield and other historic recovered metal work from the site, transforming these artefacts into interpretive features that tell the story of Fort Gilkicker’s military past and deepen public engagement with its heritage.”
The changes have already been given the support of Historic England which also welcomed the idea of the public art installations near to the entrance.
In its letter to the council it said that reducing the height of the viewing mounds “will have the dual benefit of revealing more of the exterior façade of the fort, whilst retaining the memory of the earth bund.”
Fort Gilkicker was built in 1871 to protect the Royal Navy from a potential attack by the French, with the semi-circular ark filled with gun emplacements to defend the deep water anchorage at Spithead. But it was later ‘remodelled’ so that it could accommodate the heavier guns placed on its roof. This led to concreate and ballast being placed in front of the fort - effectively burying it from view - as well as inside the Casemates to strengthen them.
The developer working on the project plan to restore many of its original timber doors, as well as create balcony views out towards the Solent from each Casemate. Brickwork has also been repaired and restored, and space for spiral staircases connecting the first and second floors has also been created.
To view the latest application and find out more, visit Gosport Borough Council’s planning portal and search for application 26/00027/VOC.