| No Man's Land Fort | |
|---|---|
| Solent, England | |
 No Man's Land Fort | |
 <div style="position: absolute; top: Expression error: Missing operand for *.%; left: 151.1%; height: 0; width: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> No Man's Land Fort | |
| Coordinates | 50°44′23.7″N 1°5′42.78″W / 50.739917°N 1.0952167°W |
| Type | Fort |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Complete |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1867-1880 |
No Man's Land Fort was a fort built in the Solent as part of the Palmerston Forts. It is 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi)[1] off the coast of the Isle of Wight and was built in the years 1867 to 1880 to protect Portsmouth. It was built at a cost of £462,500 which, adjusted for inflation, is equivalent to £43,391,356 at 2010 prices.
No Man's Land Fort is almost identical to Horse Sand Fort. It has been used as a luxury home/hospitality centre for high-paying guests – due to the privacy it offers – with an indoor swimming pool and two helipads. In July 2004, Legionella bacteria found in the hotel's water system forced its closure.[2] The Fort was put up for sale in 2005 and again in 2007, but the company collapsed.[3][4][5] In March 2008, Harmesh Pooni, claiming to still be the owner, barricaded himself inside the fort in protest against the administrators KPMG.[6]
The property was eventually sold by KPMG, who repossessed the fort as acting administrators of property finance company Lexi Holdings from Mr Pooni, for £910,000 in March 2009.[7] In March 2012, it was purchased by Clarenco (who also own Spitbank Fort and Horse Sand Fort) with the intention of refurbishing it as a hotel.[8]
The 1972 Doctor Who serial The Sea Devils used the fort as a filming location for several scenes.
Other sea forts include Spitbank Fort, St Helens Fort and Horse Sand Fort.
Notes[]
- ↑ Google Maps
- ↑ "Legionella bacteria found at fort". BBC news. 9 July 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3879659.stm. "[…] now off limits "until the health risk is controlled"."
- ↑ "Converted sea fort hotel for sale". BBC news. 10 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6289624.stm.
- ↑ "Who will buy fort used in Doctor's adventure?". The News, Portsmouth. July 9, 2007. http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/latest?articleid=3015713.
- ↑ Ward, David (July 16, 2007). "Bolthole in the Solent goes on sale for £4m". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2127139,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ↑ "Besieged man barricaded in fort". BBC news. 7 March 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7284013.stm. "A sea fort […] is under siege from creditors, prompting a businessman to barricade himself inside."
- ↑ "'Bargain' sale of £14m Victorian seafort". BBC News. 2009-07-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/8132690.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ↑ "Millionaire snaps up three forts off Portsmouth". 26 March 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-17512499. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to No Man's Land Fort. |
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The original article can be found at No Man's Land Fort and the edit history here.