Forton lake

Forton Lake Community Archaeology Project

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.

A full archaeological monograph on the projects and the results is due to be published in 2010.

The Project

Google Earth 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.

credit: Roger Forster 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

forton lake 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

outreach at southsea show 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

In 2009 and 2010 the project partners will be 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 will be split into four specific products to be produced by the end of March 2010.

A local history booklet
An exhibition hosted locally in Gosport
A interpretation panel situated on the banks of the Lake
A full monograph publication

As well as these the project will be presented at the NAS Annual Conference on the 7th November 2009

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