IT WAS once at the centre of a controversial plan to ensure that town hall bosses survived a nuclear strike.

A Victorian coastal fort known as No2 Battery would have been transformed into a fall-out shelter for civic chiefs if plans drawn up by Gosport Borough Council in the 1980s had gone ahead.

But a structure once thought to be capable of withstanding a huge blast is now in danger of crumbling away.

No2 Battery, which stands at the northern end of Stokes Bay, is one of several Hampshire buildings added to the annual Heritage at Risk register compiled by Historic England.

The Grade II listed building, originally part of the coastal defences built in the 1860s to defend Hampshire from seaborne invasion, is now home to an award-winning museum run by the Historical Diving Society.

A spokesman for Historic England, formerly English Heritage, said: “It has extensive problems of damp penetration and condensation affecting the fabric.

“The building is partly in use as a museum and opportunities to secure funding for repairs are being explored by the trustees.”

Parts of the former Haslar Gunboat Yard in Gosport, which includes a row of ten gunboat sheds built in the 19th century, has also joined the at-risk list.

The spokesman said: “The site ceased to be used in the mid-1970s but remained in Ministry of Defence ownership.

“Once vacant its condition deteriorated, with only minimum maintenance undertaken. The site was recently sold and discussions about sustainable and appropriate re-use are ongoing.”

The 19th century Fort Widley in Portsmouth, which is owned by the city council and leased to a charitable trust, is also on the register.

Another addition to the list is an ancient place of worship at Whitwell on the Isle of Wight.

St Mary and St Radegund Church comprises two medieval chapels constructed side by side and was largely rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries.

But the good news is that the Grade II-listed St Michael and All Angels Church in Stoneham has been taken off the register after undergoing repairs.

Several other Hampshire churches, including St Mary and All Saints in Droxford, have also been removed from the list.