Fort Paull

History

Fort Paull has seen military activity since the 16th century, with batteries established there under Henry VIII, Charles I during the Civil War siege of Hull, and again during the Napoleonic Wars. The first fort on the spot was begun in 1542, designed to hold twelve guns.

The present structure, a pentagonal fort, was constructed between 1861 and 1864 following Royal Commission recommendations, placing it among the Palmerston Forts. Its original armament of nineteen 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns was hidden or removed in 1894, replaced by concrete positions for three 6-inch breech-loading guns on hydropneumatic carriages and two 4.7-inch quick-firing guns. A mining station was added in 1886, and searchlights arrived in 1907.

At the start of World War I, Paull was considered too near Hull, so it was disarmed once new forts at Sunk Island and Stallingborough were built. Between the world wars, the fort served as a training base. During World War II, it was turned into a magazine supporting the Russian convoys, and a degaussing station was also installed. Fort Paull opened as a public museum in 2000.

After the Museum of Army Transport closed, it became the home of the last complete Blackburn Beverley heavy transport aircraft. In January 2020, the attraction announced it would not open for the 2020 season.

Its contents were auctioned on 19 September 2020, raising a six-figure sum; the Blackburn Beverley sold for £21,000 to the Solway Aviation Museum. In May 2024, a Facebook post revealed the site had been purchased and would undergo work to reopen, expressing a wish to bring it back for future generations and start running events again, beginning from scratch after most museum items were sold. The attraction reopened on 28 September with a classic car weekend.

Did You Know?

• The first fort on the site was started in 1542 with a capacity for 12 guns.
• In 1894, the original nineteen 64-pounder RML guns were replaced by three 6-inch BL guns and two 4.7-inch QF guns.