Fort Gilkicker
Built on the site of the earlier Fort Monckton Auxiliary Battery, Fort Gilkicker was constructed to defend the deepwater anchorage at Stokes Bay. The building of the fort commenced in 1863 and it was completed in 1871. Originally it consisted of twenty-two gun emplacements in a semi-circular series of granite-faced casemates designed to sweep the approaches to Portsmouth harbour with devastating gun fire.
During its service history the Fort was modified several times. Its casemates were strengthened to protect it against the constantly developing artillery of the day by being covered with earth in 1904. It was upgraded
with the latest coast defence guns in the late nineteenth century and finally it was re-armed during WWI to protect Portsmouth from air attack. After a brief new lease of life during WWII it was no longer needed for a military purpose and from 1956 was used as workshops until the local council acquired it in 1986
The Fort is Grade II listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the local council who own the fort would like to see the soil around the casemates removed and the structure itself turned into luxury flats. Some internal strip out work of the old barrack block has already been undertaken although this seems to have recently stopped, I am unsure as to why.