Heritage Open Days - Fort Nelson Tour

Royal Armouries Fort Nelson is opening up its West Tunnel on Saturday 12 September as part of Heritage Open Days. It's a special tour of a part of the fort that's not normally open to the public, so if you've been to the site before, this is a chance to see something you'd usually walk right past.

For those who haven't spent much time there, Fort Nelson sits high above Portsmouth and was built in the 1860s to defend against a potential French invasion that never actually happened. It's regarded as the finest surviving Victorian fort of its kind, a Scheduled Ancient Monument with high ramparts, original fortifications, a massive parade ground and underground tunnels. It didn't see action in its original role, but it played a part in both World Wars: as barracks for troops awaiting deployment in the First and as an anti-aircraft ammunition supply depot in the Second. The West Tunnel is one of those underground spaces that usually stays behind closed doors.

Beyond the tunnels, the fort houses the national collection of artillery, more than 700 pieces spanning 600 years of history. That includes a 15th-century Turkish bombard, a 200-tonne railway howitzer and the infamous Iraqi supergun. It's one of three museums run by the Royal Armouries, alongside the White Tower in the Tower of London and the purpose-built Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

The tour is part of Heritage Open Days, and the West Tunnel is the main feature. It runs on Saturday 12 September at Royal Armouries Fort Nelson in Portsmouth.