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82:". They were criticized because at the time of their completion, the threat from the French navy had passed, largely due to the complete alignment of Napoleon III's foreign policy with British interests then to the withdrawal of France following its crushing by Prussia in the
78:, had their main armament facing inland to protect Portsmouth from a land-based attack, and thus (as it appeared to some) facing the wrong way to defend from a French attack. The name also derived from the use of the term "folly" to indicate "
89:
Some sixty years previously, there had been a similar period of defence works construction, when some 140 circular towers were built for the same purpose (mainly along the Sussex, Kent and
Suffolk coast to protect London) called
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of 1870, and because the technology of the guns had become obsolete. They were the most costly and extensive system of fixed defences undertaken in
Britain in peacetime.
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52:
614:
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128:
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Note: links in this list are to "List of
Palmerston Forts" articles for those areas. A complete list of forts is available online.
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about whether the cost could be justified. The name comes from their association with
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48:
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are a group of forts and associated structures around the coasts of the
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226:
409:
Brown, D. (2006). "Palmerston and Anglo—French
Relations, 1846—1865".
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The new defences were built to defend a number of key areas of the
29:
Forts built around the coast of
Britain during the Victorian period
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coastline, in particular areas around military bases, including:
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41:
568:
543:"Victorian Forts and Artillery: List of Royal Commission Forts"
359:
267:
79:
491:"'Palmerston's Follies': a reply to the French 'threat'"
212:
53:
Royal
Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
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a costly ornamental building with no practical value
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591:
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192:(other than those included in specific areas)
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76:the first ones which were around Portsmouth
615:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
51:period on the recommendations of the 1860
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402:
14:
592:
446:"A Defence Debate Ninety Years Ago"
67:at the time and promoted the idea.
24:
213:Gallery of select Palmerston Forts
25:
626:
561:
488:
462:10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a053353
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94:, but these had become outdated.
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444:King-Hall, S. (1 January 1951).
378:Other British coastal defences:
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47:The forts were built during the
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585:Victorian Forts and Artillery
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70:The works were also known as
248:, on the south coast of the
162:North Thames and East Anglia
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605:19th-century fortifications
366:
10:
631:
411:Diplomacy & Statecraft
423:10.1080/09592290600942918
580:Palmerston Forts Society
358:, on southeast coast of
545:. Victorianforts.co.uk
319:Drake's Island Battery
513:"Fort Nelson History"
450:Parliamentary Affairs
610:Invasions of England
576:at Wikimedia Commons
72:Palmerston's Follies
523:on 20 November 2008
356:St Catherine's Fort
84:Franco-Prussian war
287:Portsmouth Harbour
167:North East England
572:Media related to
391:(built 1942–1943)
385:(built 1539–1547)
74:, partly because
16:(Redirected from
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600:Palmerston Forts
574:Palmerston forts
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519:. Archived from
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470:on 15 April 2013
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464:. Archived from
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337:Brean Down Fort
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61:Lord Palmerston
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562:External links
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493:. Napoleon.org
489:Hicks, Peter.
481:
456:(2): 297–304.
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417:(4): 675–692.
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389:Maunsell Forts
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343:'s south coast
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65:Prime Minister
38:United Kingdom
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305:Isle of Wight
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264:Fort Burgoyne
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547:. Retrieved
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521:the original
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495:. Retrieved
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472:. Retrieved
467:the original
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383:Device Forts
377:
201:
186:Lough Swilly
101:
88:
71:
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46:
33:
31:
26:
301:Fort Albert
246:Cliffe Fort
190:South Coast
139:River Clyde
594:Categories
549:17 October
396:References
373:Folly fort
285:, outside
227:Fort Paull
182:Portsmouth
63:, who was
57:Parliament
431:154025726
303:, on the
229:, on the
125:Berehaven
49:Victorian
367:See also
270:'s coast
177:Portland
172:Plymouth
119:Alderney
134:Chatham
122:Belfast
104:British
42:Ireland
527:8 June
497:8 June
474:8 June
429:
427:S2CID
360:Wales
339:, on
268:Dover
233:coast
147:Dover
108:Irish
551:2013
529:2008
499:2008
476:2008
143:Cork
110:and
40:and
32:The
458:doi
419:doi
321:in
596::
515:.
452:.
448:.
425:.
415:17
413:.
106:,
44:.
553:.
531:.
501:.
478:.
460::
454:V
433:.
421::
20:)
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