Katherine Bradbury, a 32-year-old from Portsmouth, purchased the Grade II listed Spitbank Fort for £1,010,000 at auction last summer. The fort, one of four Napoleonic-era forts and completed in 1878, was owned by the Ministry of Defence until 1982 and converted into a luxury hotel in 2012 before closing during the pandemic.
Bradbury faced numerous instances of trespassing, particularly from "urban explorers" who posted videos online, leading to a TikTok video reaching 13.5 million views. She expressed frustration with the police's inability to deter trespassers, prompting her to seek a High Court injunction. The property is currently unoccupied due to water ingress and a suspected presence of Legionella bacteria, with contractors undertaking repairs.
On July 17, the Royal Courts of Justice granted an injunction prohibiting unauthorized entry to Spitbank Fort. Breaching this injunction could result in imprisonment, fines, or asset seizure. Bradbury stated her commitment to making the fort safer with local contractors and developing it over the next five years, though she is not yet disclosing specific plans.
In a related but separate incident, a different fort, No Man's Fort, was previously at the center of a dispute involving Harmesh Pooni, who bought it in 2004 for £6 million (though he was not the freeholder). He barricaded himself inside in 2008 in an attempt to prevent its sale after administrators put it on the market for £4 million following its closure due to Legionella bacteria and his bankruptcy. No Man's Fort and Spitbank Fort were both recently sold by businessman Mike Clare for over £1 million each at an auction with Savills.
