More information : TQ 499592, Fort Halstead, Dunton Green. (1)
Fort Halstead was built between 1895 and 1897 as part of the defences of London. It consists of a vaulted barracks on the west side of the interior and a magazine on the east. It is now owned by the DOE (AERE).
Scheduled. KE303 (2)
During the 1930s the nineteenth century Fort Halstead was
reoccupied by the Projectile Development Department. One of the
principal tasks of this establishment was the development of cordite rocket motors. During the course of this work at least one casemate was converted into a static firing facility. The site remains occupied by a government research establishment. (6-6b)
TQ 499591. Fort Halstead is one of 13 sites, known as 'Mobilization Centres', built in an arc around the south and east of London to act as a defence against invasion. These sites contained stores of ammunition and equipment. On mobilization, forces would muster here to collect what they needed to defend London. The London Defence Scheme was abandoned in 1906.
Bennett (1978) lists Halstead as worthy of preservation. (3)
Additional bibliography. (4)
The Mobilisation Centre is one of 13 such structures built in the 1890s to guard London from possible landward attacks (known as London Defence Positions). They reflect then current political fears about possible invasion. Its main function was as an armament and tool store, which in the event of invasion would equip local volunteers. There were no permanent armaments or garrison. It was normally under the supervision of a caretaker (who lived in a cottage). Although there have been later additions to the fort, many original features survive.
Construction probably took place 1895-7 the scheme survived about a decade, but by 1906 plans were in place to dismantle the system. During WW1, a laboratory was built inside the fort and in 1920 outside it a storehouse. A year later the fort was sold to a retired army colonel, who lived in the laboratory. The cottages were let and the remainder of the site was used a campsite for the TA, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and accommodation for destitute refugees.
In 1936, British interest in rocketry revived and the Armament Research Department was entrusted with developing rockets. Initially work began at Royal Arsenal Woolwich, but due to safety concerns a remoter site was sought. In 1938 Fort Halstead became the separate Projectile Development Establishment.
The 1938 experimental rocket filling building is the earliest surviving purpose-built rocket related building in England.
In 1940 as the country was threatened with invasion, sections were moved to Aberporth in mid-Wales. By 1941, the headquarters for rocket work was moved back to Halstead . Aberporth was also retained and developed into an important coastal missile range.
At the end of the war in 1945 armaments research continued on a reduced level. Halstead was retained and used for evaluation of German technical equipment and translation of captured documents. A German high speed wind tunnel was also brought and installed, but may have been recently removed.
In Jan 1947 it was decided to proceed with the development of an atomic bomb and the task was given to William Penney, Chief Superintendent Armaments research (CSAR) based at Fort Halstead.
In the eastern part of the centre are a small group of buildings built in the late 1940s specifically to support the atomic bomb work of William Penney’s Team. One of the principle tasks was to develop the electronic circuitry to detonate the conventional explosives lenses that surrounded the bomb’s fissile core. At the centre of this project was building Q14, purpose built and developed as the single place where components were brought for assembly. Its architecture reflects its secretive and specialised function.
The occupation of Fort Halstead by the High Explosives Research Team under William Penney took place during the crucial period which the UK developed its own atomic bomb.
Atomic weapons related work remained at Fort Halstead until 1955, when the last members of staff were transferred to new Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) Aldermaston. (7)
Fort Halstead is one of fifteen late 19th century mobilisation centres established to defend London in the event of invasion. It was designed in 1894 and probably constructed between 1895-7 and was intended to be a nodal point where volunteer forces could collect equipment and ammunition if the need arose. Unusually for a site of this type it also had the provision to mount machine-guns emplacements. The London Defence Scheme, of which Fort Halstead was a part, was abandoned in 1906.
During the First World War the fort was used as a defendable ammunition store forming part of the London anti-invasion stop-line. After sixteen years of private ownership, in 1937, the site was used to ase the Projectile Development Establishment (Monument HOB UID 1579336) as it provided a remote and contained site for rocket development building on earlier work by the Ballistics Branch at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. In 1947, Fort Halstead became the top-secret High Explosives Research headquarters for the development of Britain's atomic bomb known as Blue Danube. Additional structures for this research were built in and around Fort Halstead, all within a secure fenced enclave (Monument HOB UID 1579348). Fort Halstead was where both high explosive and electronic detonators for the atomic bomb were developed. Britain exploded her first atomic bomb on the Mont Bello Islands, Australia on 3 October 1952. Atomic weapons research and development continued at Fort Halstead until 1955 when staff transferred to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston (Berkshire). Fort Halstead has since continued as a government defence research establishment concentrating on explosives and other research.
Fort Halstead is a scheduled monument. For the designation record of this site please see the National Heritage List for England. (8-9) |