Formed in 1975 (and thus celebrating its first half-century this year), the Fortress Study Group (FSG) is devoted to the study and preservation of artillery fortifications.
While early examples of these structures are found in Norwich and Southampton, it was during the Tudor period that large-scale construction really got under way. Some 1,100 places across the British Isles were fortified during the Civil Wars of the mid-17th century. When peace returned, focus shifted from town defences to ports and estuaries because of the increasing risk of attack from Continental enemies. The first half of the 18th century was dominated by fort-building in Scotland, and further fortifications were built prior to and during the Napoleonic Wars.
The 19th century and the Industrial Revolution resulted in an arms race, as the range of available artillery increased, making previous generations of fortification obsolete. Thus, the huge building programme of the ‘Palmerston Follies’, intended to counter a new French threat, which were arguably outdated before they were completed. The 20th-century legacy consists of First and Second World War defences (including the ubiquitous pillbox) and Cold War anti-nuclear structures.
