NEWHAVEN FORT - COUNTERSCARP GALLERIES
Paintings by Fred Gale c1940s
By Dan Bernard 131design
These photographs are part of a current exhibition held at Newhaven Fort until end of October 2008, documenting the paintings in the Counterscarp Galleries.
The images painted by Fred Gale, who was one of crew of the Newhaven Air Sea Rescue Units in the 2nd World War and he painted them in situ for a Christmas party just after the 2nd World War in 1946.
The Counterscarp galleries are not open to the public due to safety reasons. They are pitch black and approximately 30 foot underground, located in the north west corner of the moat, just by the car park. Occasionally the Fort run guided tours of these galleries on special events (such as the open Fort days - contact the Fort on 01273 517622 for details).
Due to the poor conditions in the gallery these images are disappearing fast and may not be there at all next year. 131 Design are working with Newhaven Fort to publicise these fascinating images as part of a larger project called Barriers: Fences, Walls & Forts - see www.131designs.org
Main staircase to the galleries
Vosper built air sea rescue boat
RAF mosquito, which would have provided arial cover during a rescue
Looking north through the Western Counterscarp gallery towards the Arabian corridor