The Solent is rich in seafaring history and the Spithead Ports are part of its defensive tradition.

Lying so close to France, the area was long an area lying in fear of an attack in the 19th Century.

When Napoleon III declared himself French Emperor in 1851, there was public panic.

English Prime Minister Palmerston commissioned five forts to defend the Royal navy's fleet at anchor.

The sea forts were commissioned to run along The Solent's eastern approaches.

All four remain today, although one was abandoned during construction due to building problems.

They are a testament to Victorian engineering expertise, although they were later dubbed 'Palmerston's follies' as the French threat never materialised.

Today Spitbank Fort is one of the most impressive of the sea forts, with its solid foundations and labyrinth of tunnels and fortifications.

The construction of Spitbank began in 1861, but stopped due to the political wranglings.

Work resumed in 1864, with the first stone being laid in March 1867 and completion taking place in June 1878.

The cost of the fort was £117,964, plus the ironwork.

In its heyday a garrison of nearly 30 maintained the fort which was run like a ship with life below 'deck' being remarkably similar to that on the sea.

In 1956, the Coast defence program was abandoned, and the fort's searchlights and generators removed during the following year.

During its working life, Spitbank Fort was never tested against a Naval invasion.

In 1952, it was sold to a private concern, and it is now run as a visitor attraction.