These Fortified Islands Could Be Yours: Spitbank and No Man’s Fort
Fancy owning a piece of history? Back in 2024 these two extraordinary fortified islands in the Solent were heading to auction. Spitbank Fort and No Man's Fort had both spent their more recent lives as rather unlikely boutique hotels, complete with bars, restaurants, spas and some fairly spectacular sea views. They started life rather differently. The forts were part of a chain built in the nineteenth century to defend Portsmouth from a feared French invasion. By the time they were completed the threat had largely passed, earning this great collection of military architecture the slightly unkind nickname 'Palmerston's Follies'. I think they are wonderful. There is something about taking a building designed entirely for defence and giving it a completely different life that really appeals to me. All that granite, brick vaulting, tiny windows and military engineering, then somebody comes along and adds bedrooms, ba...