Event/Activity EPM129 - Pickett-Hamilton Fort, Hilsea

An excavation of the interior of the Pickett-Hamilton Fort at Portscreek and a survey of the site was carried out by members of the Pillbox Study Group between the summer of 1979 and February 1981. The work took place prior to the monument being scheduled. In order to access the site brushwood had to be cleared from both access hatches, a pump was installed and a small drainage channel into the Creek was dug to take the run-off from pumping. The interior of the fort was excavated by hand over a seven month period, and the site was drawn and surveyed before Portsmouth City Council sealed the hatches with a skim of concrete in order to preserve it. The excavation indicated that the fort was of a rare type operated by a counterweight block. The site was subsequently scheduled in 198