Haslar Peninsula
The Haslar peninsula is rich in military heritage and includes Fort Blockhouse, Haslar Hospital, Haslar Gunboat Yard, Haslar Barracks, the former HMS Hornet and the Admiralty Experimental Works. The significance of the peninsula was such that the coastline was reinforced with stone facing walls at the end of the 18th Century to protect it from coastal erosion; that erosion combined with storms is threatening its future as a coastal defence.
Clayhall Cemetery
In 1859 the Clayhall Cemetery was opened for the interment of Naval personnel. Here you will find the last resting place of over 1,500 British Sailors who died in the service of their country in two world wars and others who lost at sea in other conflicts and peacetime accidents. One corner of this cemetery, a foreign field, is forever Turkish with graves of 26 Turkish Sailors. Individual monuments are illustrated in Listed Buildings.
Haslar Barracks
The site was developed in 1802 as a permanent regimental infantry barracks with the buildings retaining the original plan form. Subsequently taken over by the Royal Engineers, it closed in 2017 and is about to reopen again as an immigration removal centre.
Gun Boat Yard
The yard was created for the housing and repair of British gunboats between 1856 and 1906. The site comprises a series of original iron sheds for housing the gunboats, part of the traverser system used for their launch and movement and a collection of ancillary buildings relating to repair and maintenance. The site is bounded by high walls with sentry posts and has a guard house and police barracks.
Fort Blockhouse
There has been a fortification on this spit of land since 1417. As HMS Dolphin, it was the home of the RN Submarine Service with the prominent escape tower built in 1954 (see Listed Buildings).
Fort Monckton
Fort Monckton was built between 1781 and 1790 to defend the western approaches to the Harbour. Currently occupied by the MoD, much of the original fort still exists including the bastions, sea facing casemates, guard room, one of the caponiers and the original drawbridge. Not accessible to the public.
No 5 Battery
No. 5 Battery is a mid-Victorian artillery battery built in the 1860s an integral part of the Stokes Bay Lines as part of front-line defences against a French invasion threat. The site remained a military research facility until it was closed in 2012 and is about to be redeveloped with 18 residential dwellings.
Haslar Hospital
A purpose-built hospital for sailors run originally by the Royal Navy. Most of its buildings are behind a brick wall that encloses the site. Currently being redeveloped as a residential village with many houses and flats completed.
Fort Gilkicker
One of the Palmerston follies, the fort was built between 1863 and 1871 as an auxiliary battery to Fort Monckton. In 1906, the exterior granite wall was covered with earth. The fort is now empty and restoration works removing the earth bank have commenced as the first phase to provide residential accommodation.
Haslar Bridge
A footbridge was first built across Haslar Lake in 1795 with the current bridge built in 1980, this time designed for vehicles.