Fort Paull

En un regard

Le château en bref

Fort Paull, officially Paull Point Battery, is a coastal artillery battery on the north bank of the Humber estuary, east of Hull, near the village of Paull. The site has been fortified repeatedly since the reign of Henry VIII, making it one of the longest-occupied defensive sites on the estuary. The work visible today dates from 1861-1864. It is an enclosure in the shape of a flattened pentagon whose longest side, about 200 metres, runs along the shore. Its earthen ramparts, raised with spoil from a ditch about 4 metres deep, are fronted by a loopholed Carnot wall and flanked by two-storey caponiers. A landscaped glacis and a stone quay wall protect the river front. Inside survive gun emplacements over vaulted magazines, powder magazines, a 1912 observation post and barracks. Armed successively with muzzle-loading guns, then quick-firing pieces and disappearing guns, the fort also served as a submarine mining base and as headquarters of the Humber fire command. Sold by the state in 1960, it became a military museum from 2000 to 2020. It is now closed to the public and protected as a scheduled monument and listed building.