“We all try to remember the things we have lost and would do anything to have those things back, so why do we not look after them before they are lost.”
My name is Gary Baines, I am the Chairman and Founder of the Friends of Shoreham Fort.
When I was a child of only 4 years of age, my grandfather took me to see this fort. I can remember running around the Carnot wall, holding his walking stick, pretending it was a gun. Unfortunately my grandfather passed away that same year so the fort was to be my last memory of him.
Since then It has always fascinated me.
After investing in a computer in 1994, I searched the Internet to see what I could find out about the fort. I spent several hours searching to find out that there was very little documented about this rare fort. The research on Shoreham Fort and others that tell the tale of the Palmerston prototypes including Littlehampton and Fort Nelson began.
Therefore in the hope that other people were interested, I set up a web site in 1999. Things have changed a lot since then and we are now very thankful that our website is designed by a professional that volunteers with us. So have a good look and please visit again as the site is always being updated.
After researching the Shoreham Fort for nearly 15 years I eventually gained permission to start a restoration project and on my 30th Birthday, May 9th 2010 the Friends of Shoreham Fort was officially launched.
The Volunteers, now tirelessly look after the fort, hold numerous events and raise money to secure her future. Many hours have been clocked up over the years and without these volunteers, restoration would be nothing but a boys dream.
If after looking at the website you can add anything to aid our research, or have any questions or suggestions, I would be very grateful if you could contact me