Special Sunday Gun Firings featuring at Fort Nelson

The Royal Armouries announces dates for its new season of special Sunday black powder gun firings at Fort Nelson in Hampshire.

On selected Sundays throughout the year there are special firings at Fort Nelson, featuring authentic gun drills by uniformed detachments from Portsdown Artillery Volunteers, Ubique Right of the Line and HMS Loire.

Fort Nelson is a historic monument, rescued from dereliction and carefully restored to its Victorian splendour. It commands spectacular views over the Solent to the south and the picturesque Meon Valley to the north. The Royal Armouries museum was opened in 1984 for the first time, and today is home to one of the largest collections of artillery in the UK.

Nigel Hosier, Operations Manager said, “These special Sunday gun firings offer a great opportunity for all the family to experience the sounds of our mighty guns firing throughout the day. There are few places that are able to fire using black powder, which makes these events so special”.

Guns are fired at: 11:30am, 2pm and 3pm, with the exception of the 13-inch Land Service Mortar and the 32-pounder which are fired at 11 am, 11:30 am, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, 3 pm and 3:30 pm. In addition, one of the big guns will be fired daily at 1pm. These events are free and everyone is welcome.

The detachments will be available after the firings to talk about the guns and their history.

26 March:
13-inch Land Service Mortar in the North Mortar Battery.
Firings by uniformed detachments from PAV.
Firings at: 11 am, 11:30 am, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, 3 pm and 3:30 pm

30 April:
16-pounder Rifled Muzzle Loader
Firings by uniformed detachments from PAV.

11 June:
7-inch Armstrong RBL
Firings by uniformed detachments from PAV.

18 June:
Waterloo Commemoration.
British and French guns fired by uniformed detachments from Ubique and HMS Loire

9 July:
64-pounder Platform Gun
Firings by uniformed detachments from PAV.

10 September:
16-pounder Victorian Field Gun
Firings by uniformed detachments from PAV.

22 October:
Battle of Trafalgar.
British and French guns. Firings by uniformed detachments from Ubique and HMS Loire

12 November:
First World War 18-pdr Howitzer. Firings by uniformed detachment from Ubique.
Remembrance monologue and silence.

26 November:
32-pounder Smooth-bore Breech Loader in the North Caponier.
Firings by uniformed detachments from PAV.
Firings at: 11 am, 11:30 am, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, 3 pm and 3:30 pm

For more details about the Royal Armouries and the national collection housed at Fort Nelson, visit www.royalarmouries.org

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Notes to editors

– Royal Armouries has two other sites at HM Tower of London and in Leeds.
– Fort Nelson in Hampshire houses the national collection of big guns and artillery. It underwent a major refurbishment in 2011, with new galleries and a state-of-the-art education centre. The project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
– In 2014, it was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor.
– The Royal Armouries Museum should not be confused with Royal Armouries International plc, the private sector corporate hospitality business based on the same site in Leeds.
– For further media enquiries and photo opportunities at Fort Nelson, please contact Caroline Chapman, Communications Officer: caroline.chapman@armouries.org.uk