12 October 2012
As a Trust Port with many stakeholders, Shoreham Port is committed to supporting the community in projects which benefit the local area. One long standing partnership is with the Friends of Shoreham Fort (FoSF), now a Registered Charity, who continue to conserve and maintain Shoreham Fort, an English Heritage scheduled ancient monument, located at the far east end of Shoreham Beach.
Whilst clearing the site after the removal of the condemned Coast Guard tower, Shoreham Port’s contractors, Edburton Contractors Ltd, discovered a metal door runner. This was an amazing find as it meant that the FoSF knew where to start excavating the Barrack Block foundations. Visitors to the site can now see that they are at the half way point and history really is coming to life. The excavations mean that not only does it give the visitors a true scale of how large the fort was; it also gives the Friends a chance to compare the foundations with their plans.
Gary Baines, Chairman and founder of the FoSF said “This is a really exciting time for the FoSF and we are slowly uncovering what has been hidden since 1959 when the Fort was demolished. The Port has been a fantastic help in all that we have done, including helping us gain our charity status. Some staff members even visit us on their days off too. We always feel that Shoreham Port goes that one step further for the FoSF and for our Nation’s heritage.”
On a recent visit to the site Shoreham Port‘s Director of Engineering, Tony Parker, was amazed to see how much progress had been made in uncovering the foundations. Tony said “It’s great to think that we are actually standing where soldiers stood over 155 years ago. Shoreham Fort is of national importance and plays a big part in Adur’s history. I am really pleased that the FoSF and Shoreham Port are able to be so proactive in the restoration and preservation of it for our future generations.”
