VOTE: Battle to defend Littlehampton fort has begun

After several failed attempts over the years to rescue the town’s Victorian fort, at West Beach, from falling foul to natural erosion and destructive weeds, Littlehampton man, Andy Orpin, is the next in line to renew the battle.

Andy, 38, is leading the Littlehampton Fort Restoration Project, arguably the most ambitious campaigns yet to try clear the fort and to preserve it for future generations.

History-lover Andy is keen to get plenty of Littlehampton residents involved in saving the fort, from the onset,

He said: “The fort is a key piece of Littlehampton history that is in jeopardy of being lost forever, if nothing is done.

“I have a real passion for local history and I have felt that something needs to be done to save the fort ever since I moved here, in 2003.

“I used to go walking over the dunes with my other half and the fort was in a terrible condition.

“The site was overwhelmed by all the vegetation around it. It was a tragedy, really.”

The fort was built in 1854 and was the first in a series of defensive structures built along the south coast to combat potential invading forces from France.

The Littlehampton fort was designed to defend the town’s harbour, which was seen as a place of strategic importance to an initial invasion of mainland Britain, by the War Office of the time.

It was capable of housing more than 70 soldiers and officers and was armed with three 68-pounder guns and two smaller, 32-pounder guns, each capable of hitting targets almost a mile away.

There was also an underground storage space for more than 120 barrels of gunpowder.

“The fort was a very impressive building,” said Andy.

“It was designed to withstand attacks from ships and land forces, with an 8m dry ditch and a 12ft high set of Carnot walls and bastions.”

Now, the building’s biggest battle is against Mother Nature. Dad-of-two Andy and his wife, Emma, have spent several years discussing how they could tackle the problem and decided, in March, to commit to a sustained effort to rescue the site.

The couple have already produced an informative leaflet about the fort that has been distributed around the town.

They are also planning future fund-raising events and recruitment drives and are keen for people to step forward and volunteer.

Andy said: “We’re looking for people of all abilities. There is a job everyone can get involved with, from manual labour to keeping the force fresh with teas and coffees.”

There will be a recrutiment and information evening at the Windmill Inn, in Mill Lane, Rustington, on Saturday, November 5, between 3pm and 7pm.

The pub will also be holding weekly meat raffles, with all the money raised going towards the restoration project.

For more information about the fort, visit www.littlehamptonfort.co.uk or email .

What do you think? Is it worth preserving and restoring Littlehampton’s 19th century fort to boost the town’s tourism industry? Cast your vote in the poll to the right of the page.