The two forts were built during the first world war,
Haile Fort being on the Lincolnshire coast two miles downstream
from Cleethorpes, and Bull Fort on a sandbank in the middle of the
river, in a southwesterly direction from Spurn Lighthouse on the
northern bank of the river.
Together with the fortifications on Spurn Point,
their object was to make the estuary into a safe assembly point for
coastal convoys.
Their construction took over three years, hundred of
massive blocks of concrete being sunk into the sand to form a firm
foundation on which the superstructure of the forts could be
built.
Each of the forts cost over one million pounds, and were regarded
as 'an outstanding triumph of modern engineering'.
The Bull Fort was the most difficult proposition and was built
circular on interlocking steel piles in the form of caissons, and
thee connected by further piling, giving a cell-like effect on
plan. The outer compartments were filled with concrete and the
round inner one with sand, the hole being capped with concrete,
giving the impression of a huge bucket of steel and concrete
enclosing a great cylinder of sand. From this the floors were
built.
The upper part of the fort is about 45 to 50 feet above high water
and consists of three floors and a basement floor. The upper part
of the fort has an outer wall of concrete faced with armour plate
which, on the seaward side is 12 inches thick.
The garrison consisted of 200 men and their officers, and provided
all necessary amenities.
The Haile Sand Fort is on a slightly smaller scale although similar
in design.
Both forts were manned by the army during the last war and were
continually attacked by enemy aircraft and U boats.
In 1956 the army left the forts and several ideas were put forward
as to their possible future use. One suggestion was that the Bull
Fort could be used by the pilots who were on duty in the river,
rather than having to live on board the pilot cutter, which could
be very uncomfortable in rough weather. Another suggestion was that
if nature eroded another quarter of a mile off Spurn Point, Bull
Fort would be outside the three mile limit and could be turned into
a duty free drinkers paradise!
The forts were manned by civilians until the early sixties, when
the Humber Conservancy Board became the owners. Bull Fort is used
as a navigational aid and has a huge bell at the top which i s
automatically rung by a gas pressure hammer. Apart from that and
the lights on board, there is an automatic tide guage which tells
ships' masters the state of the tide and whether they will have
enough clearance to get up the river.
Source = The personal notes of Charles Ekberg
This series has been compiled from a range of
resources, including comprehensive collections of local cuttings
and photographs, books and pamphlets, held in the Local History
Collection in Grimsby Reference Library.
Further information on these and many other topics
is available from the Reference Library. Enquiries can be made by
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