Fort Paull
Encyclopedia
Fort Paull is a gun battery
situated on the north bank of the Humber
, near the village of Paull
, downstream from Hull
in northern England
.
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 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
. The original emplacements, nineteen 64 pounder (29 kg) RML artillery pieces were almost completely demolished in 1894 when concrete emplacements for three disappearing guns and two quick firing guns were built. A mining station was added in 1886 and searchlights followed in 1907.
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
. 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.
In 1960, Fort Paull was released from the Ministry of Defence
and closed down. In 1964, a group of volunteers, the Friends of Fort Paull took over the site and began to restore the fort as a heritage museum. Fort Paull finally opened to the public in 2000. Fort Paull houses a waxwork museum showing figures which have influenced the fort's long history as well as an armoury showing various artillery pieces and armoured vehicles. The fort also plays hosts to various military reenactments from time to time.
Fort Paull is the location of the last remaining complete Blackburn Beverley
heavy transport aircraft.
Fort Paull has also appeared in the computer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
in the Russian airport diner behind the counter's chair in a poster.
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
situated on the north bank of the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
, near the village of Paull
Paull
Paull is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England lying on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, in an area known as Holderness...
, downstream from Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Batteries have been built at Paull by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
during the siege of Hull and the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The current fort is of pentagonal design and was built in 1861-4 and on the recommendations of the Royal Commission
Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
In 1859 Lord Palmerston instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom because of serious concerns that France might attempt to invade the UK...
, hence it is one of the Palmerston Forts
Palmerston Forts, North East England
The Palmerston Forts around the north east of England include:*Abbs Point Battery, Roker, Sunderland*Cemetery Battery, Hartlepool*Frenchman's Battery, South Shields*Heugh Battery , Hartlepool*Lighthouse Battery, Hartlepool...
. The original emplacements, nineteen 64 pounder (29 kg) RML artillery pieces were almost completely demolished in 1894 when concrete emplacements for three disappearing guns and two quick firing guns were built. A mining station was added in 1886 and searchlights followed in 1907.
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
Sunk Island
Sunk Island is a Crown Estate village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies south of Ottringham and to the north of the Humber Estuary...
and Stallingborough
Stallingborough
Stallingborough is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, a short distance from both Grimsby and Immingham. The parish stretches from Lincolnshire to the Humber coast, and includes the hamlet of Little London.-Geography:...
. The fort was used as a training base between the wars, and during the Second World War, it was converted into a magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
to serve the Russian convoys; a degaussing
Degaussing
Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, an early researcher in the field of magnetism...
station was also added.
In 1960, Fort Paull was released from the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and closed down. In 1964, a group of volunteers, the Friends of Fort Paull took over the site and began to restore the fort as a heritage museum. Fort Paull finally opened to the public in 2000. Fort Paull houses a waxwork museum showing figures which have influenced the fort's long history as well as an armoury showing various artillery pieces and armoured vehicles. The fort also plays hosts to various military reenactments from time to time.
Fort Paull is the location of the last remaining complete Blackburn Beverley
Blackburn Beverley
The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft and flown by squadrons of Royal Air Force Transport Command from 1957 until 1967.-Design and development:...
heavy transport aircraft.
Fort Paull has also appeared in the computer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles and the Microsoft Windows operating system. Officially announced on February 11, 2009, the game was released worldwide on...
in the Russian airport diner behind the counter's chair in a poster.