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Fort Paull

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Fort Paull
Paull Cliff Battery
Point Cliff Battery[1]
Aerial view
Site information
TypeNapoleonic War
Location
Fort Paull is located in East Riding of Yorkshire
Fort Paull
Fort Paull
Location within the East Riding
Coordinates53°42′48″N 0°13′46″W / 53.713360°N 0.229450°W / 53.713360; -0.229450
Site history
Built1861–1864
In use1864–1960
Garrison information
OccupantsFort Paull, Museum, Armouries and Visitors Centre

Fort Paull is a gun battery situated on the north bank of the Humber, near the village of Paull, downstream from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

History

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Batteries have been built at Paull by Henry VIII, Charles I during the Civil War during the siege of Hull and the Napoleonic Wars. The first fort built on the site was started in 1542 with a capacity for 12 guns.[2] The current fort is of pentagonal design and was built in 1861–4 and on the recommendations of the Royal Commission, hence it is one of the Palmerston Forts.[3]

The original emplacements, nineteen 64-pounder (29 kg) RML artillery pieces were concealed or demolished in 1894 when concrete emplacements for three 6-inch Breech Loading (BL) guns on hydropneumatic carriages and two 4.7-inch Quick Firing (QF) guns were built. A mining station was added in 1886 and searchlights followed in 1907.[2]

At the outset of the First World War, Paull was judged too close to Hull, so was disarmed when new forts were built at Sunk Island and Stallingborough.[4] The fort was used as a training base between the wars, and during the Second World War, it was converted into a magazine to serve the Russian convoys; a degaussing station was also added.[2]

Fort Paull opened to the public as a museum in 2000.[5] Following the closure of the Museum of Army Transport, it became the home of the last remaining complete Blackburn Beverley heavy transport aircraft.[6]

In January 2020, it was announced that the attraction would not be opening for the 2020 season.[7]

The museum's contents were auctioned on 19 September 2020.[8] The contents auction raised a six-figure sum, the Blackburn Beverley bringing in £21,000 on its sale to the Solway Aviation Museum.[9]

In May 2024 a post on Facebook announced the site had been bought and would be undergoing works to reopen.[10] The post referenced the desire to bring the site back for future generations and start running events there again. It mentions they will be starting from scratch after a lot of the museum's contents were auctioned off when it last closed. The attraction reopened on 28 September with a classic car weekend.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Foster, Joe (2004). The Guns of the North-East. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-84415-088-5.
  2. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Paull Point Battery, coastal artillery battery and Submarine Mining Establishment (1020425)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Simon, Jos (4 July 2014). "Yorkshires overlooked oddities". Rough Guides. Rough Guides. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Fort Paull, East Yorkshire: Defending the Humber Estuary". BBC World War One at home. BBC. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Plans to reopen Fort Paull attraction". BBC News. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Fort Paull, East Riding". The Heritage Trail. Archived from the original on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  7. ↑ "Fort Paull exhibit doubts after museum's sudden closure". BBC News. BBC. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "Fort Paull Auction". Gilbert Baitson. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Fort Paull auction: Museum sale raises 'six-figure sum'". BBC News. BBC. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Good evening everyone we have some extremely EXCITING and slightly daunting news". Facebook. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Phillips, Holly (27 September 2024). "Fort Paull attraction set for reopening weekend". BBC News. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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