The Palmerston Forts Society

Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them volleyed and thundered. Deafening bangs and satisfying clouds of pungent smoke attend the exercises of the Palmerston Forts Society as it fires off nineteenth-century cannon to the correct Victorian drill.

The Society has its headquarters at Fort Nelson, one of a chain of stupendous fortresses guarding Portsmouth naval base. The Society regards these Victorian dinosaurs with a benevolent and proprietary pride and though dedicated to the arts of war, it has a warm-heartedly cheerful and welcoming air. It was founded in 1984 by a few Hampshire County Council officers, one of whom, Nicholas Hall, is now Fort Nelson's curator. Membership has built up to above 100 and ranges from dockyard craftsmen to teachers and solicitors. There are members all over the country and one or two abroad. Most of the members are men, not surprisingly, but there is a sprinkling of women, too.