No Man's Land Fort

No Man's Land Fort
For other uses, see No Man's Land (disambiguation).
No Man's Land Fort
Solent, England
No Mans Land Fort Geograph 1263735 87977ef9.jpg
No Man's Land Fort
No Man's Land Fort is located in Isle of Wight
Shown within United Kingdom Isle of Wight
Type Fort
Coordinates 50°44′23.7″N 1°5′42.78″W / 50.739917°N 1.0952167°W / 50.739917; -1.0952167
Built 1867-1880
Current
condition		 Complete
Open to
the public		 No

No Man's Land Fort was a fort built in the Solent as part of the Palmerston Forts. It is 2.2 kilometres[1] off the coast of the Isle of Wight and built between the years 1867 and 1880 to protect Portsmouth. It was built for a cost of £462,500, a considerable sum if adjusted for inflation*. (*According to the Bank of England Website, £462,500 at 1880 prices is equivalent to £43,391,356 as at December 2010)

No Man's Land Fort is almost identical to Horse Sand Fort. It is now 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]

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

  1. ^ Google Maps
  2. ^ "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"." 
  3. ^ "Converted sea fort hotel for sale". BBC news. 10 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6289624.stm. 
  4. ^ "Who will buy fort used in Doctor's adventure?". The News, Portsmouth. July 9, 2007. http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/latest?articleid=3015713. 
  5. ^ 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. 
  6. ^ "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." 
  7. ^ "'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. 

External links

v · d · ePalmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight
Western side
Freshwater Redoubt • The Needles Battery • Hatherwood Battery • Warden Point Battery • Golden Hill Fort • Cliff End Battery • Fort Albert • Fort Victoria • Bouldnor Battery
Eastern side
Puckpool Battery • Nodes Point Battery • Steynewood Battery • Culver Battery • Bembridge Fort • Redcliff Battery • Yaverland Battery • Sandown Fort • Sandown Barrack Battery
Solent
Spitbank Fort • St Helens Fort • Horse Sand Fort • No Man's Land Fort
List of Palmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight
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