Liverpool Forts and Coastal Defences

[dazza]

Thanks Steve, and yes, the gaol can just be made out. Interesting that there was no development between it and the Mersey for some years. Only the fort was visible, as a stark reminder to the French prisoners inside. That's if they had windows?

[wsteve55]

Thanks Steve, and yes, the gaol can just be made out. Interesting that there was no development between it and the Mersey for some years. Only the fort was visible, as a stark reminder to the French prisoners inside. That's if they had windows?

[Ged]

The french Napoleonic prisoners of war of course built part of the dock road wall.

[ChrisGeorge]

Liverpool Fort (c.1781-1820) was sited close to George's Dock. It is clearly shown on the maps below. I've also highlighted the only image I could find of it, which is from a Michael Angelo Rooker engraving of the Mersey and Liverpool.

The Fort stood on the site from 1781-1820. It was equiped with 'eighteen and thirty-two pounders', source: also Richard Brooke's Liverpool As It Was During the Last Quarter of the Eighteenth Century, pp.371. Also, Dr William Moss, writing in, The Liverpool Guide, goes further to say that 'a strong guard of soldiers is always kept here. It is open for public recreation...[affording]...a very adventageous view down the river...from which point the rock point may be very distinctly observed'. pp.83

Hi Daz

Fine information, maps, illustrations, and analysis as usual, Daz! Well done.

The 32-pounders and 18-pounders would have been usual for coastal defense in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. In fact, Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor was protected by similar guns in the fort itself and in nearby batteries when Baltimore was attacked by the Royal Navy in September 1814. The bigger and longer guns, 36-pounders, were actually from a French warship French warship named the L'Eole that had been wrecked off the coast of Virginia some years before and recently sold at auction. Mounted in the fort's water battery, they kept most of the British attack squadron at bay, with only the British bombships able to lob mortar shells at the fort a distance of two miles (!) during the 25-hour bombardment. See also this blog posting on Fort McHenry -- the cannons at the fort today are misleading because they are larger Rodman coastal defense cannons dating from the 1870's. The 1814 water battery though has been recently recreated with replicas of the long French 36-pounders.

.... the couple of times that I visited the reserve,you couldn't help notice the very substantial foundations(many feet thick!) of something I rightly,or wrongly,guessed was for some sort of military type building,such as a fort! I'd read of such a building,which was complementary to the fort in New Brighton,for defence of the river approaches.
I had a quick look on google maps,and it's apparent that there have been some major changes to the shoreline,during the history of the docks development,and the general area around Seaforth,seems to involve a large reclaimed area.

Thanks, Steve. You could be onto something.

The french Napoleonic prisoners of war of course built part of the dock road wall.

According to Brooke's book, the French prisoners of war were kept captive in the Tower during the late 18th century and early 19th century... there were a few Americans in there as well.

Cheers

Chris

[dazza]

The 32-pounders and 18-pounders would have been usual for coastal defense in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. In fact, Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor was protected by similar guns in the fort itself and in nearby batteries when Baltimore was attacked by the Royal Navy in September 1814. The bigger and longer guns, 36-pounders, were actually from a French warship French warship named the L'Eole that had been wrecked off the coast of Virginia some years before and recently sold at auction. Mounted in the fort's water battery, they kept most of the British attack squadron at bay, with only the British bombships able to lob mortar shells at the fort a distance of two miles (!) during the 25-hour bombardment. See also this blog posting on Fort McHenry -- the cannons at the fort today are misleading because they are larger Rodman coastal defense cannons dating from the 1870's. The 1814 water battery though has been recently recreated with replicas of the long French 36-pounders.

Thanks Chris, interesting link. And great photo of the 18" & 36" pounders ... it helps put some persepective on what any vessel would be up against if they entered the port of Liverpool. Also, Baltimore looks like it benefited from some high ground to mount their defenses on. One of John Stobart's painting's of Baltimore here: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/framingfox_2178_146562927

The USS Constellation looks like an interesting ship - presumably it's open to the public?

[ChrisGeorge]

Thanks Chris, interesting link. And great photo of the 18" & 36" pounders ... it helps put some persepective on what any vessel would be up against if they entered the port of Liverpool. Also, Baltimore looks like it benefited from some high ground to mount their defenses on. One of John Stobart's painting's of Baltimore here: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/framingfox_2178_146562927


The USS Constellation looks like an interesting ship - presumably it's open to the public?

Hi Daz

The hill you see in that painting is Federal Hill which looks down on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It is further in toward downtown Baltimore but on the same peninsula as Fort McHenry which commands the approach as vessels come up the Patapsco from the Chesapeake Bay. The hill was used by Union Troops to train their artillery on downtown Baltimore when Federal troops on their way to Washington, D.C. were attacked by a mob of southern sympathizers on April 19, 1861.

The USS Constellation as we see it today was built in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1854, and replaces a frigate of the same name launched in Canton, Baltimore, in 1797. When the ship was brought back to Baltimore in 1955, the people in charge of it tried to pretend it was the original frigate and gussied it up with gold ornamentation on the stern in emulation of HMS Victory and other earlier period warships. I have been on board the ship on numerous occasions. See here for an article I wrote on the controversy, "Unravelling the Story of a Storied Ship."

All the best

Chris

[az_gila]

....
The USS Constellation as we see it today was built in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1854, and replaces a frigate of the same name launched in Canton, Baltimore, in 1797. When the ship was brought back to Baltimore in 1955, the people in charge of it tried to pretend it was the original frigate and gussied it up with gold ornamentation on the stern in emulation of HMS Victory and other earlier period warships. I have been on board the ship on numerous occasions. See here for an article I wrote on the controversy, "Unravelling the Story of a Storied Ship."

All the best

Chris

Nice article you wrote...