Fort Kelburne was a coastal artillery battery located in Wellington, New Zealand. Built between 1885 and 1887 in the vicinity of

Ngauranga Ngauranga is a suburb of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, in the lower North Island. Situated on the western bank of Wellington Harbour, it lies to the north of the centre of the city. The name comes from the Maori-language ''ngā ūra ...

, following fears of an impending war with Russia, the fort was used for training purposes, later receiving renovations during the First World War. Fort Kelburne, along with Fort Buckley in

Kaiwharawhara Kaiwharawhara is an urban seaside suburb of Wellington in New Zealand's North Island. It is located north of the centre of the city on the western shore of Wellington Harbour, where the Kaiwharawhara Stream reaches the sea from its headwaters ...

, were the first

coastal defences Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...

to be built in a ring that was designed to protect Wellington Harbour. Following the end of the war, the fort ceased to be occupied by the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

, with ownership transferring to the Public Works Department. In the course of its existence, no shots were ever fired in anger. In 1963, the fort was completely demolished by the Public Works Department to make way for two large connecting roads between the

Wellington Urban Motorway The Wellington Urban Motorway, part of SH 1, is the major road into and out of Wellington, New Zealand. It is 7 km long, ranges from three to seven lanes wide, and extends from the base of the Ngauranga Gorge into the Wellington CBD. Fro ...

and Ngauranga Gorge. As a result, little remains of the former installation.

History

Construction

Fort Kelburne was the first of four coastal fortifications built in Auckland, Wellington, Lyttleton and Dunedin in the development of New Zealand's coastal defences during the Russian scare. Construction began in December 1885 and was completed in April 1887. The naming of the fort varies in difference references between ''Kelburn'' and ''Kelburne'', but is likely named after Viscount Kelburne, the eldest son of Lord Glasgow, who was the

governor-general of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and li ...

from 1892 to 1897.

Specifications

The fort was built on a series of tiered levels following the topography of the hill, with its main guns mounted apart. A brick and concrete palisade along with a spiked steel fence was built around the gun pits to repel land-based attackers. The guns were linked underground by a bomb-proof passage. All underground galleries and gun pits were built using the cut-and-cover method.

Fortifications and Armaments

* 1887–1925: ** 2x 6-inch disappearing gun ** 1x 13 or 15-pounder Nordenfelt gun

Remains and artefacts

Little to no remains of the fort can be seen today, due to the construction of the

. The access road up the hill from

remains, while one 6-inch Armstrong hydro-pneumatic gun remains as a monument at Trentham Military Camp. Other remains are located at the National Army Museum in Waiouru. However, during demolition by the Public Works Department, the fort was well documented with photographs and diagrams made. Copies of these can be found at both Archives New Zealand, as well as the

National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...

References