The Southsea attraction famed for its guns and roses
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jul 2017, 23:31 BST
Updated 18th Jul 2017, 08:47 BST
Everybody knows of it, but I suspect few know much about its history. It's just one of those places that's woven into the fabric of Portsmouth society without many paying it much attention.
But author Jackie Baynes is about to put that straight with the publication of her latest book which traces the history of Lumps Fort, Southsea.
It’s called Guns and Roses – The Story of Lumps Fort and Canoe Lake Park and from it we learn that the fort (east of Canoe Lake) goes back to 1545.
That is when a redoubt was built to prevent a beach landing to the east of Southsea Castle.
However, as Jackie explains, the name predates the fort and was taken from Lumps Farm to the north – the owner being Ralph Lumps.
She says: ‘Old maps also show a Lumps Mill and a Lumps Lane in the area. An early reference to Lumps Fort is in the records of the Board of Ordnance in 1805. By 1822 the fort was in use as a semaphore station on the line from London to Portsmouth.’
The book, published by the Portsmouth Society, is launched next Tuesday and should be available at bookshops and outlets around the city soon after.