Forton Lake Community Archaeology Project
The Forton Lake Archaeology Project – NAS Monograph 3
 By Mark Beattie-Edwards (NAS) and Julie Satchell (HWTMA), with contributions by Jane Maddocks, Alison James, Mary Harvey, Julian Whitewright, Daniel Pascoe and Paul Donohue
The Forton Lake Archaeology Project monograph presents the full results of the fieldwork and research carried out between 2006 and 2011 by the Nautical Archaeology Society and the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology. The production of the monograph was funded by The Crown Estate. The monograph also includes guidance on undertaking community archaeology projects on the foreshore, thereby helping other groups around the world that are considering undertaking similar projects.
Contains: 106 pages, 5 x A3 foldouts, 10 pages of colour plates
Cost: NAS Members £25.00, Non–members £30.00 (Postage £3.00 2nd Class UK, £5.00 Europe, £8.00 International Airmail Zone 1 & 2, £10.00 International Airmail Rest of World)
Forton's Forgotten Fleet now available!
Documenting the results of three years of fieldwork at Forton Lake, Gosport, this booklet has something of interest from everyone from local Gosport residents to maritime enthusiasts, including fascinating facts about the many boats that have ended their life in Forton Lake from a Gosport ferry to Motor Minesweepers from the Second World War.
This publication is available from the NAS for £3.99 for NAS Members and £4.99 for non–members. (plus P&P). To order your copy please contact the NAS Office.
The Project
 The Forton Lake project, to investigate the remains of hulks and associated history of the Forton Lake area in Gosport, Portsmouth, is a collaborative project between the NAS and the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology (HWTMA), began in 2006 thanks to a Local heritage Initiative Grant.
The project was awarded a £25,000 grant by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the Heritage Lottery Fund to promote the archaeology of Forton Lake amongst the local community in Gosport. This grant was to fund two years of fieldwork as well as an outreach programme that included public lectures, activity days and site tours.
Further support from St Vincent College, located on the shores of Forton Lake and from a grant from the Nationwide Building Society also helped to make this a success.
Following on from a successful first two field seasons the project recieved a further boost with a grant from the Crown Estate to fund a further year of fieldwork in 2008 and to fund a publication that would be based on the results.
The Crown Estate’s Marine Stewardship Fund supports practical projects, research and initiatives that improve the status and management of the marine zone under its care – the largest and most diverse of the Crown Estate.
Local residents have taken part in the practical tasks of recording heritage around the lake by helping to photograph, survey and excavate some of the abandoned vessels. They have also carried out historical research, and shared memories of how the area has changed and developed during their lifetimes. Participants have included individual members of the local community from pensioners to school children, students from St. Vincent College, and volunteers from the NAS and HWTMA.
"The Forton Lake project has given me the opportunity to help put into practice the theory and basic skills learnt on various NAS courses. A big bonus has been the varied backgrounds of my co-workers; some who were professional archaeologists through to interested locals. All had something to contribute either with knowledge of local history or with professional skills”, says Roger Forster, who volunteered on the project. “As an amateur diver with an interest in maritime heritage, it was an opportunity not to be missed and I am looking forward to participating again this year."
The results of fieldwork carried out in 2006, 2007 and 2008, including photographs and drawings of the site, can now be found in the Year 1, 2 and 3 Project Reports, available to download below:
Year 1 report (2006) - 3Mb - 
Year 2 report (2007) - 8Mb -
Year 3 report (2008) - 10Mb -
Project Aims
The Forton Lake Project is a community based heritage initiative that allows the inhabitants of Gosport to research, record and display their heritage. The project aims to bring together a community impacted by recent housing development and provide social inclusion through a broad archaeological project. The project is being supported by St Vincent College in Gosport.
 It is known that Forton Lake was in use as early as the Saxon period and its’ use has been continuous. Today it is home to at least 20 abandoned vessels of different ages and types, some of which have local importance. Parts of the shoreline are utilised by local sailing clubs, but much of its use and importance to the local community is forgotten or ignored. The Forton Lake Project will seek to rectify this by involving all members of the Gosport community, from school children to pensioners through active participation in the project and a range of outreach activities.
The Forton Lake Project also serves to demonstrate that archaeology and heritage does not stop at the high water mark, but continues on to the foreshore and even under the water. Jane Maddocks, Archaeology Teacher at St Vincent College said “The work is a unique opportunity to allow the inhabitants of Gosport to take part in the heritage on their doorstep”.
Fieldwork
 All the vessels around Forton Lake were assigned an unique identification number, this was based on the system used by Ted Sutton who had originally carried out a rapid survey between 1996 and 1997. The Hulks were therefore numbered from FL1 to FL30.
Recording
Investigations were undertaken to establish the archaeological and historical significance of the hulks. This took
the form of a descriptive assessment comprising of sketches, hull dimensions,
photographs and notes. Selected hulks were recorded using archaeological
survey methods to produce drawn plans. Each vessel was recorded using
30m survey tapes, 3m hand tapes, level lines and plumb-bobs. The survey
plans were drawn to a scale of 1.20.
Excavation
Over the second and third fieldseasons sites FL5, FL15 and FL29 were selected for intrusive excavation. Prior to this all surface visible timbers were drawn to scale. Once a trench had been excavated the reults were recorded using offsets to produce scale drawings both in plan and section, which allowed us to better understand the form and construction of these vessels.
Oral Histories
 For generations the hulks at Forton Lake have been a playground for the local children, as residents have watched as they have slowly begun to fall apart. Recording the memories of the residents of Forton Lake has been an important part of the project, to capture this unique view into the past of the area before it becomes forgotton and lost
Education and Outreach
 Education and outreach formed an important part of the Forton Lake Project. The maritime archaeological resource is often undervalued by the local community who often know little about what lies on the shores and are disconnected with this aspect of their heritage. This project has aims to highlight the importance of maritime archaeology to the whole community.
Through hands-on involvement the project aims to create a sense of ownership to engage local people with the long-term conservation of the heritage resource. Creating a sense of value for heritage assets will help promote the survival of both the physical remains, such as wrecks, and the passing on of stories and recollections of the vessels in use to younger generations.
In all three years of fieldwork grants have been used to promote local volunteer involvement and community participation.
All participants were given archaeological instruction in the classroom using the NAS introduction course. This was followed by instruction in the field, which gave the volunteers the skills to enable them to conduct archaeological recording under supervision. By the end of the project the volunteers had developed to a level that they would be able to conduct a basic archaeological survey independently.
Publication and dissemination
Between 2009 and 2012 the project partners have been undertaking the final phase of the project to publish and disseminate the findings. Thanks to grant support from the Crown Estate and Gosport Borough Council this phase has been split into four specific products to be produced for a variety of different interest groups.
- A local history booklet entitled Forton’s Forgotton Fleet
- An exhibition hosted locally in Gosport
- A interpretation panel situated on the banks of the Lake
- A full monograph publication
The local history booklet and the monograph are now out in print and can be obtained from the NAS Office via a merchandise order form or by calling the NAS Office.
As well as the local history booklet the project created a small exhibition that complimented the booklet. The exhibition used the text and the illustrations of the local history booklet to present the projects findings to the public visiting the Local Studies Centre in the Gosport High Street. The exhibition ran from the 4th January 2010 until the 29th January 2010 and was visited by both local residents and visitors to the area.
The final part of the dissemination phase was to design and install a interpretation panel around the lake so that passing members of the public could stop and read about the heritage in the lake. The design of the panel was undertaken by Alison James in 2010 and the panel was taken to Gosport in 2011 with the intention of installing it near to the northern end of the Millennium footbridge at the Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower. To date this is yet to be installed but hopefully will be carried out in 2012.
Please click here to download a high resolution pdf copy of the Interpretation Panel.
Project Partners and Sponsors
The Forton Lake Project could not have gone ahead so succesfully without the hardwork of all of the project partners and the generous support of everyone who has sponsored the project.
Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology
St Vincent’s College, Gosport
Local Heritage Initiative
Heritage Lottery Fund
Nationwide Building Society
The Crown Estate
Gosport Borough Council
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