Upton Fort, Osmington Mills, Dorset
Portland & Weymouth Harbours have their fair share of Victorian coastal defences. On the Isle itself, the harbour breakwater wall and also Nothe Fort. All of which are Westerly (firing East) or Southern based (firing North). So what about a Northern site? Something that would attack to the South and be, no doubt, a bit of a surprise for enemy ships/aircraft! With the addition of this defence, the harbours would be extremely protected.
And that’s where Upton Fort comes in. Possibly one of the best preserved (derelict) Victorian coastal defence batteries in the area, especially when compared to the Portland High-Angle Batteries. It sits hidden in the Osmington hills, now surrounded by a few homes, converted from the original buildings.
I knew for a long time that there had to be some defences on this edge of coastline and with that seed planted in my head, I took to Google Maps and found it, sticking out like a sore thumb (for someone who knows their Victorian defences from the sky!)
Upton Fort is someones garden. Please take that in to account if you’re planning a visit, be courteous and ask permission before you go wandering around.
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This is my familys holiday getaway. My great grandfather built the tin hut at the bottom. He later sold it to the current owners. Please don’t ‘explorer this place. Its very looked after and very well known to locals. There is a caravan site in Osmington Mills if you like the area but this isn’t somewhere people should go and explore as IT IS NOT ABANDONED.
Hi Lauren – they weren’t Dawsons were they? My Grandparents lived at the fort xxx
Yessss! They were :-) That’s my great grandparents. Mimp and Gramp 🥰
I remember them! xxx
Me and my best mate are photographers and we wanted to photograph this to preserve the history. In March we took a 4 hour hike to get there and we asked permission from locals who said parts of it are holiday letting. But they were happy for us to explore.
We got stopped by a women who was doing work on them down there, she looked pissed off and told us to leave which was very disappointing it’s still there but I’m not sure for how long.
It is an amazing place. I’m in my 50s, always lived just a few minutes from the old fort. Used to spend a lot of time messing around in the fort when I was younger with friends, it’s sad to see parts falling into such disrepair.
Please can I have the email for the people who own the area as it is ideal for my college photoshoot
Love this site, Doing my family tree and I believe I had a family member who was here in the war. Could I possibly get the e-mail for the owners? Has anyone else had luck when emailing them? Or are they pissed at all the e-mails they get? lol
Head on down there and ask politely. The problem with e-mail is that it’s easily ignored & you never really know who you’re replying to!
Hi there, is there any chance you can send me the location of this please as would love to go have a look around and take photos
The location?! It’s in the title, explained in the write up, and there’s also an image pin-pointing it! I’m not sure what else I can do for you.
Could I have the email for permission please?
Hello there, I came across your page by accident and read that it may be possible to email the people whose garden the battery is in would it be possible for me to have their email address as we are going on holiday near there in May and we love all types of war history and exploring.
Keep an eye on your e-mail inbox (and junk just in case…) I’ll send you the details.
Do you have any information on access point for this site?
Love to visit, how can I get permission?
Hello,
I was wondering if I could possibly have the contact details also? Looks like a great location
Hey Debbie,
Did you manage to get the email address for these people?
I wanted to send them an email also,
I hope you enjoyed your holiday/ visit
Kindest regards
Hi, Love your site!! Very interesting stuff! I actually used to live in and renovated the two flats/ cottages here at Upton Fort. When we emptied the apartments we found diaries and reports from the soldiers who were stationed here. Unfortunately though not much happened there apart from regular drills and a couple of minor accidents. Was still a very interesting read. We went down the stairs quite a lot but never had the equipment or courage to get inside so thanks so much for the pictures. My family live up on the hill and rent their home from the same people who own all of these buildings so I may ask them if we can get a proper look. Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Oh wow! That’s great! What did you do with the diaries, hopefully they’re in a museum or similar? You should definitely try and have a proper look around.
Is this place still possible to access do you know? Any info be greatly appreciated
I worked with the company (Soil Mechanics) who drilled the holes in the ground, into each of which I seem to recall, four thick bolts – about five or six feet long – were cemented. I was the Surveyor’s assistant, making pencil marks on a little stake in the ground, which located the center of where each hole was drilled. The two masts were operated by the USAF, but were not actually in use for more than a very few years, as satellite technology took over their job. My memory of the job would be “bloody cold, and bloody muddy” !!!!
How do I contact the people’s whose garden this is in?
Hi Holly, send me an e-mail through the contact form and I’ll give you their e-mail address.
Is it possible for you to send the email adress of the land owners, I would love to photograph this place, looks amazing!
Sure, keep an eye on your inbox.
Hi
Love this site, I have used a number of places for photo shoots!
Would it be possible to send me the email address of the people as well please?
I would love to go and have a look around.
Thank you
Regards
Ian
Hiya, how do you get to this? Looked on Google Maps, can’t exactly make out where it is?
Adam,
I haven’t got or seen any photos of the dishes. At the time I got the impression that most of the locals considered them to be something of an eyesore rather than something which might be of interest to military or other historians, at a later date.
I guess if you contacted the appropriate military historical branch they might ( ! ) help.
Regarding the bat, if it was March, and the weather was as cold as it is now, it would still be hibernating and lesser horseshoes tend to hibernate on their own but you may find more at the same site. Greater Horseshoe bats, similar looking but much bigger obviously, are however often found hibernating in clusters but also as individuals.
I notice from your web site you’ve visited many underground sites in the south west. I do know that, of those you’ve got pictures of, the limestone caves / mines at Beer and Box are well known sites for horseshoe bats
I knew that bats roosted in Beer Caves (not the same as the place I recently visited) and Box. Although I’ve never seen them in Box and I’ve been there a lot!
I keep meaning to visit the Dorset archives centre, there’s plenty I need to research. Perhaps this’ll be the motivation I need!
Adam,
Can you remember what time of year you photographed the bat. It’s a lesser horseshoe, by the way, and did you see any more ?
In the 60’s when my grandparents had a caravan at Ringstead Bay the base was still operational with 2 big radar (?) dishes on site
Hi Stuart,
The picture was taken in March. He was all on his own, which I thought was odd?
Thanks for the insight, that’s fascinating! Don’t suppose any photos were taken of it?