List of Palmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight

The name comes from their association with Lord Palmerston, who was Prime Minister at the time and promoted the idea.

The structures were built as a response to a perceived threat of a French invasion.

The works were also known as Palmerston's Follies as, by the time they were completed the threat (if it had ever existed) had passed, largely due to the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and technological advancements leading to the guns becoming out-of-date.

The defences on the Isle of Wight were built to protect the approaches to the Solent, Southampton and Portsmouth.

The information in the tables is taken from documents for each site, from the Victorian Forts website.