Nothe Fort
Nothe Fort is a former fort of mid-19th century origin on the eastern end of the Nothe Peninsula, which juts eastwards from Weymouth and Weymouth Harbour, and into the sea to the north of Portland Harbour.
The fort (and its outer gateway) became a Grade II* listed monument in June 1974. Its fusee steps, situated nearby in Nothe Gardens, have been Grade II listed since November 2000. In addition to its listed status, the fort, including the fusee steps and a nearby searchlight emplacement, became a scheduled monument in October 1978, and is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
From 1980 the fort was restored by Weymouth Civic Society and is now one of the best preserved examples of its kind. It continues to be maintained by the society as a museum and tourist attraction under a lease agreement with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
History
Construction and original armament of fort (1859-1873)
In the mid-19th century, Portland Roads was transformed into a harbour of refuge with the building of two breakwater arms between 1849-72. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were planned, including one at the Nothe Peninsula, where the land was purchased in 1858. The peninsula was considered to have great strategic importance; it was able to cover the approaches to Portland and Weymouth Harbours, and would provide strong defence of Portland Harbour from the north in partnership with the Breakwater Fort. Furthermore, the peninsula had already served as a useful vantage point and defence site in earlier conflicts, with former defence works of note there including batteries during the Civil War and Napoleonic Wars.
Prior to the construction of the Nothe Fort, work started on temporary open earthen batteries on the peninsula in 1859, as a result of the latest tensions with France and the perceived urgency for some form of defence for the new harbour of refuge at Portland. However, these temporary works were not completed owing to the site's instability and were subsequently demolished. Once plans for the Nothe's permanent casemated fort were finalised (the design of the fort being drawn up by Major Nugent), a civil engineering contractor, Messrs. Jay & Co of London, began work at the site in 1860.
In order to address the stability issues, draining of the land was carried out and work commenced on constructing a substantial sea wall spanning the peninsula. Messrs. Jay & Co also made a start on the fort's foundations, but were ultimately dissatisfied with their contract and the War Department agreed to terminate it in late 1862. Construction was then taken over by the War Department and largely handled by the 26 Company Royal Engineers, using a team of 50 sappers under the supervision of Captain P. Smith and direction of Colonel J. Hirse. They used wooden scaffolding and gantries, along with mobile steam cranes, to put the stonework into place. The stone used was transported by barge from Portland.
By April 1867, £80,809 had been spent on the fort and it was nearing completion by 1868. The proposed armament at the time consisted of six 10-inch RML guns and four 9-inch RMLs for the casemates, and two 7-inch RBLs covering the entrance of Weymouth Harbour. The guns to be installed on the fort's upper tier was still to be decided. As the fort neared completion, the armament was revised, with the proposed 7-inch RBLs changed to 9-inch RMLs. This resulted in the need to make "extensive alterations" to the fort in order to improve its strength and ability to handle the proposed guns, as well as the installation of iron shields at most gunports. Meanwhile, the proposed guns for the upper tier of the fort was dropped. Work progressed well and the Nothe Fort would be completed in 1872 for a total cost of £117,049, although major remedial work to the external stonework soon had to be undertaken.
The first soldiers to be garrisoned at the fort were the Royal Artillery's Second Battery of the 7th Brigade, which numbered 120 men. They arrived at Weymouth's train station on 28 February 1871 and were greeted by a band of the Royal Fusiliers and many local residents, before marching through St Thomas Street to reach the fort. These men were responsible for installing the original armament during 1872, with the guns arriving on-board the dockyard cutter Helena, who made a few trips that year to deliver all ten guns, equipment and other supplies. The men of the Second Battery departed in November, leaving the fort armed with four 9-inch RML guns and six 10-inch RML guns. Two 64 pounder RML guns would also be installed in casemates 3 and 5 during 1874. Additional early armament included four ML 8-inch shell guns and two 32pdr SB guns. A gun shed held five RBL 40-pounder Armstrong guns to be used on the south-west face. The caponier, which defenced the ditch and entrance to the fort, contained two SBBL 32-pounder guns and loopholes for the firing of rifles.
Operation of the fort into the 20th Century (1890s-1938)
By the 1890s, the fort and its armament had become obsolete due to rapid technological developments in warfare and weaponry. It was during this time that the fort primarily served as an infantry barracks, which saw it used for training and practice exercises. The armament was altered in c. 1890 with the arrival of seven 12.5-inch RMLs to replace some of the existing RMLs. In 1895, the fort was recorded as holding seven 12.5-inch RMLs, three 10-inch RMLs and two 64pdr RMLS. There were also two 32pdr SB guns for drill and eleven 18pdr SB guns in a saluting battery outside of the fort (established in the 1890s and removed in c. 1902). In 1900, two 6pdr quick-firing (QF) guns were added on the ramparts for defence against the new threat of torpedo boats. In 1899, a defence electric light emplacement was constructed on the north-east edge of the fort, followed by another to the south-west in c. 1908. In 1900, the fort's armament was recorded as being made up of two 10-inch RMLs, four 12.5-inch RMLs, two 6pdr QFs and two 3pdr QFs (the latter for practice). In 1900-01, a row of married quarters for the fort were built in what is now Nothe Gardens. They were demolished in c. 1973 and the site turned into a car park.
With the introduction of breach loading (BL) guns to supersede RMLs, plans were drawn up in 1901 for the installation of two 6-inch BL Mark VII guns at the fort. The last of the RML guns were removed and broken up in 1902 and the two BL guns were installed in 1903. New emplacements, complete with ready-use ammunition lockers, were built on the ramparts to hold the new guns, and a number of hoists installed below to send the ammunition up to the ramparts. In order to accommodate the added weight, the fort had to undergo some structural work including the strengthening of its foundations, while earthworks were formed to help protect the guns from enemy fire. The fort's QF guns were removed in 1906 and a third BL gun was transferred from Upton Battery and installed at the Nothe in 1908.
The fort was only occupied intermittently throughout this period, but became fully manned by the Dorsetshire RGA with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. With the threat to shipping in the area having decreased by 1916, the fort's three BL guns were temporarily withdrawn that October for service elsewhere, though the searchlights and their engines remained operational. The Dorsetshire RGA vacated and the fort was placed under the maintenance of 5th Fire Command. It was not until 1929 that two 6-inch BL guns were installed on the ramparts and these were used for practice and training purposes, including that of the Dorset Heavy Brigade Royal Artillery, who would conduct simulated attacks with the Royal Navy. A battery observation post (BOP), installed with a Watkin DRF, was erected in the south-west corner of the ramparts in 1930 to control the fire of the BL guns. In 1934, the fort's original drawbridge was removed and in 1938 the outside ditch was filled-in and the wooden bridge was replaced by a permanent roadway capable of handling heavy vehicles.
The fort was selected to be a central anti-aircraft ammunition depot for the south west region in 1938. A number of alterations had to be carried out for this new role, including the installation of an electric-operated hoist, which would send the ammunition up to be loaded onto trucks, and a loading platform. The ammunition, which was largely stored in the southern casemates and magazines, was sent off to be used by many British guns throughout the war, including as far as Coventry.
Role during World War II (1939-1945)
In 1939, a heavy anti-aircraft battery was established on the glacis of the fort. It was originally armed with two 3-inch guns of World War I origin, but these were replaced by 3.7-inch Vickers guns in 1940. The battery's remains were removed when the site was transformed into a car park in the 1970s. Meanwhile, in 1939, a specially-built brick platform was added to the north-west corner of the fort's ramparts to accommodate a 40mm Bofors gun. On the fort's northern side, a concrete bunker was built against its walls, which provided close defence across the entrance of Weymouth Harbour.
Leading up to the war, HM Naval Base Portland was considered as a base for the Examination Service, which was responsible for checking neutral merchant ships passing through the English Channel and ensuring their cargoes would not be of use to the enemy. In order to check the area's suitability, the Nothe Fort, along with other local forts and batteries, carried out exercises with their artillery. When war erupted, the proposed base was established at Portland, with the Breakwater Fort becoming the main examining battery. Nothe Fort provided a supporting role and some of the examination staff were also accommodated there.
Despite being an active military fort for almost 70 years at the time, the Nothe Fort did not encounter enemy action under World War II. While the fort's guns had only ever been fired for training exercises or competitive events, they fired in anger on one occasion when two refugee vessels from the Channel Islands were spotted approaching the harbour in July 1940. The ships did not identify themselves as friendly until after the fort fired warning shots.
Over the course of the war, the fort was primarily garrisoned by No. 552 Coast Regiment Royal Artillery, and although it did not suffer damage from German bombers, it was hit by machine gun fire. In 1941, an observation minefield of 18 mines was laid at the entrance of Weymouth Harbour, with the mines placed in groups of three. The control station for the them was built on the fort's north terrace. It was originally intended to establish the station near Weymouth's Jubilee Clock and then under the bowling green at Greenhill Gardens before the Nothe Fort was decided on.
Final military use and abandonment of fort (1946-1978)
The fort was placed under care and maintenance in January 1945, leaving only a small detachment of its garrison. The Bofors gun was removed from the ramparts. After the war, the main role of the fort was as a territorial practice battery, with No. 421 Coast Regiment (Dorsetshire) TA using the fort as a pre-camp training ground from 1947. An AA No 3, Mk 2 radar was installed in 1953 to serve the seaward defence headquarters (SDHQ) at HMS Osprey. In order to transport the radar and its equipment into the fort, a Bailey bridge was laid across the glacis to the ramparts. The fort continued its primary role of training by regularly hosting exercises with live firings until March 1956. Like other forts and military defence installations of its type across the UK, Nothe Fort was abandoned as a coastal defence that year. The regiments serving at the fort were relocated and the remaining armament removed by a scrap dealer in 1957.
The fort was then handed over to the Royal Navy, who used it as a storage site to house general stores and equipment of the Naval Degaussing Service. In 1959, no longer needed by the navy, the fort was sold to Weymouth and Melcombe Regis Borough Council for £6,000. The council originally hoped to have the fort used as an "amusement or entertainment centre". That year they advertised for interested individuals or parties to come forward with offers to transform the fort in time for the summer season and potentially keep such a centre active on a long term basis. However, these plans failed to come to fruition and the fort remained empty and unused.
During the 1960s, with the council unable to decide on how it could be put into civilian use, the fort quickly became derelict. It was regularly accessed by trespassers and squatters, which resulted in vandalism and graffiti. Much of the fort's woodwork was used as firewood and metalwork was sold to scrap merchants. Of the ideas considered for its future, one suggested using it as a hovercraft terminal, while another proposed transforming it into a luxury hotel. A conversion plan for the latter option was drawn up and work commenced in 1971, but the project was abandoned soon after. In an unsuccessful attempt to stop intruders, the council erected a barbed wire fence around the fort in 1975.
Restoration and transformation into a museum (1978-1990s)
In 1978, the Weymouth Civic Society approached the council with their idea of restoring and opening the fort to the general public. Talks continued throughout the following year and an agreement was made in February 1980. This deal was to be reviewed on a yearly basis, allowing the council the freedom to decide the fort's long-term use. Initially, the council sent a team to tidy the fort and undertake essential health and safety work, which included sealing off all areas deemed dangerous, while a number of unsafe buildings were demolished in the courtyard and on the ramparts. The Weymouth Civic Society then established a team of dedicated volunteers to begin transforming the fort into a tourist attraction.
The fort was officially opened on 29 June 1980 by the Weymouth & Portland Mayor, Councillor Mrs. Litschi. Public tours were undertaken on a daily basis over the peak season and concentrated on the courtyard and rampart areas, with a small admission charge generating funds for restoration work. The fort received 1,000 visitors in its first week of opening and approximately 9,000 by the end of the season. Working parties then began further restoration work, with a particular focus on removing remaining graffiti, while donations of military items were actively sought for exhibition. The society established a sub-committee in December 1980, which was given responsibility for the daily maintenance and restoration work of the fort.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the fort was gradually restored and developed as a museum. The first part of the magazine level opened for tours in 1982, once they had been cleared and lighting installed. The fort also received its first gun for display that year, when the Royal Navy donated a 64 pdr RML gun from HM Naval Base Portland. It had been used as a bollard on the inner breakwater and was purposely removed to be given to the fort.
At the end of 1983, the council gave permission for part of the fort to be used as a District Command Centre. The centre was to be used for civil administration purposes in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War. The necessary conversion work saw approximately a third of the magazine level transformed into command and accommodation areas (with thirty bunk beds), which were contained inside heavy blast doors. The centre was decommissioned in 1991. From 1984, the fort's volunteers received assistance with the restoration work from the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) scheme, who provided labour five days a week. The assistance continued at the fort until 1990, by which time it was being provided under the similar Employment Training (ET) scheme.
Visitor numbers reached an all time high of 40,000 in 1987. It was around this time that the fort's team decided that guided tours should be eventually replaced with unlimited public access and more displays. In 1988, a major landslip in Nothe Gardens destroyed the original sea wall spanning from the fort and a searchlight emplacement of c. 1905, which was soon rebuilt within the fort and completed in 1990. That year saw visitor numbers surpass 60,000, while in 1991, a restaurant was established within the fort and a membership scheme, 'Friends of the Fort', set-up. In 1995, the Nothe Fort became a member of the Museum and Galleries Commission, and later achieved full museum status too.
Recent years as a tourist attraction (2000s-)
The fort benefited from a Heritage Lottery Grant of £2.4 million in 2005. This allowed further restoration and repair work to take place, as well as the installation of a lift to improve disabled facilities. In 2007, the fort was subject of a survey carried out by the National Lottery, which revealed it was voted one of the spookiest locations in the UK. Hundreds of individuals applied to be volunteers at the fort for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Both the fort and Nothe Gardens were closed to the public for a two-week period during the games and only accessible to ticketed spectators. 150 people were recruited as marshals to assist with the 4,600 spectators that arrived at the site each day.
Today the fort has many displays, exhibits and audio visual facilities. In addition to promoting military history, it has developed its level of community involvement by regularly hosting drama productions, music concerts and other events. It also runs an educational World War II Evacuee Experience for schoolchildren. The fort's team is made up of five paid staff members and seventy volunteers, who are committed to upgrading the displays and facilities. The Friends of Nothe Fort group has also been established to promote interest in the fort and to encourage its growth as a museum and tourist attraction. Recent visitor numbers include 43,000 in 2005 and 38,415 in 2007.
Design
Shaped like the letter D, the fort is built largely of Portland stone, with some use of brick internally. The fort is protected by a sea wall on its seaward side, and has a glacis on the landward side. Originally accessed by an iron and wooden drawbridge, an approach road now leads along the glacis and under a tunnel to the fort's entrance. The south-west corner of the fort has a three-tiered caponier jutting across the ditch.
Constructed on three levels, the lowest is the magazine level, which was designed to store gunpowder and shells, and has a continuous passage throughout for easy access. The middle, ground level has a courtyard/parade ground in the centre, surrounded by a series of 22 bombproof casemates, which were built to accommodate the original RML guns and provide accommodation for the soldiers manning them.
The top level is the ramparts, which provided a raised platform that could be used to fire muskets and light guns during an attack on the fort. As its armament was upgraded, the ramparts had emplacements added to accommodate the modern BL guns, while the casemates would be used for different purposes in different periods, including officers' and sergeants' messes, barrack rooms, tailors' and cobblers' shops, stores, canteens, offices, reading rooms and washhouses. The first two casemates at the entrance of the fort were originally used as the guardroom and cookhouse.
Scheduled status
In 1978, the Nothe Fort became a scheduled monument. It was later noted by English Heritage that the fort, the tramway and the searchlight battery "all survive well". They added: "The fort has undergone an extensive programme of restoration since 1980 and is one of the best preserved of all examples built between 1860-70. Nothe Fort represents an integrated component of the fortifications of Portland Harbour, the development of which is fully documented in the library of the Royal Engineers and the Public Record Office, and this material is one of the most complete and detailed archives for any comparable system to survive in England. The long use and development of Nothe Fort is reflected in the survival of wider associations, including the Victorian tramway and various 20th century features such as anti-aircraft and searchlight batteries and various observation posts."
The scheduling of the site falls into the three separate areas of protection. Aside from the fort itself, the inclined tramway, located in Nothe Gardens is known as the Fusee Steps. These steps, possibly built around 1889 to bring the seven 12.5-inch RMLs guns to the fort, are bordered by walls with iron rails running along them. They were later used to transport stores and other goods from a landing stage on the quayside of Weymouth Harbour up to the fort.
The surviving defence electric light emplacement of 1899, constructed on the north side of the fort's perimeter, is included in the scheduling. The emplacement's entrance and embrasure is now sealed. The remains of its original metal shutters have deteriorated due to seawater and weathering.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC Dorset - Local History - Nothe Fort - website page
2) Dorset Echo - Hundreds apply to be Olympics volunteers at Weymouth's Nothe Fort - Laura Kitching - February 2012 - website page
3) Dorset for You - Visitor Numbers at Selected Attractions 2002-2012 - website page
4) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - Back to the future - Jill Dunning - website page
5) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Nothe Fort and Outer Gateway - website page
6) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Fusee Steps - website page
7) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Nothe Fort, Tramway and Searchlight Battery at The Nothe - website page
8) Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Museum of Coastal Defence - 8th Edition - Late 2000s - Weymouth Civic Society - book
9) Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Official Website - Museum and History - website page
10) Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Official Website - The History of Nothe Fort - PDF document
11) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 81, 82
12) Report of the Committee appointed to enquire into the construction, condition, and cost of the fortifications, erected, or in course of erection, under 30th & 31st vict., and previous statutes - 1869 - report
13) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
14) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
15) The Coastal Defences of Portland and Weymouth - E. A. Andrews and M. L. Pinsent - 1981 - supplement to the journal Fort (Fortress Study Group) - report
16) The National Archives - Weymouth and Portland Area: Nothe Fort - WO 78/5079 - declassified plans and drawings - 1894, 1901-03, 1907, 1915 - website page
17) The Nothe Fort - A History and Guide - Prepared for the Weymouth Civic Society - 6th Edition - Late 1980s - pages 2, 6 - book
18) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
19) Weymouth Civic Society - The Civic Society and the Nothe Fort - The Development of the Nothe Fort Museum - website page
20) Weymouth Civic Society - The Nothe Fort - website page
The fort (and its outer gateway) became a Grade II* listed monument in June 1974. Its fusee steps, situated nearby in Nothe Gardens, have been Grade II listed since November 2000. In addition to its listed status, the fort, including the fusee steps and a nearby searchlight emplacement, became a scheduled monument in October 1978, and is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
From 1980 the fort was restored by Weymouth Civic Society and is now one of the best preserved examples of its kind. It continues to be maintained by the society as a museum and tourist attraction under a lease agreement with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
History
Construction and original armament of fort (1859-1873)
In the mid-19th century, Portland Roads was transformed into a harbour of refuge with the building of two breakwater arms between 1849-72. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were planned, including one at the Nothe Peninsula, where the land was purchased in 1858. The peninsula was considered to have great strategic importance; it was able to cover the approaches to Portland and Weymouth Harbours, and would provide strong defence of Portland Harbour from the north in partnership with the Breakwater Fort. Furthermore, the peninsula had already served as a useful vantage point and defence site in earlier conflicts, with former defence works of note there including batteries during the Civil War and Napoleonic Wars.
Prior to the construction of the Nothe Fort, work started on temporary open earthen batteries on the peninsula in 1859, as a result of the latest tensions with France and the perceived urgency for some form of defence for the new harbour of refuge at Portland. However, these temporary works were not completed owing to the site's instability and were subsequently demolished. Once plans for the Nothe's permanent casemated fort were finalised (the design of the fort being drawn up by Major Nugent), a civil engineering contractor, Messrs. Jay & Co of London, began work at the site in 1860.
In order to address the stability issues, draining of the land was carried out and work commenced on constructing a substantial sea wall spanning the peninsula. Messrs. Jay & Co also made a start on the fort's foundations, but were ultimately dissatisfied with their contract and the War Department agreed to terminate it in late 1862. Construction was then taken over by the War Department and largely handled by the 26 Company Royal Engineers, using a team of 50 sappers under the supervision of Captain P. Smith and direction of Colonel J. Hirse. They used wooden scaffolding and gantries, along with mobile steam cranes, to put the stonework into place. The stone used was transported by barge from Portland.
By April 1867, £80,809 had been spent on the fort and it was nearing completion by 1868. The proposed armament at the time consisted of six 10-inch RML guns and four 9-inch RMLs for the casemates, and two 7-inch RBLs covering the entrance of Weymouth Harbour. The guns to be installed on the fort's upper tier was still to be decided. As the fort neared completion, the armament was revised, with the proposed 7-inch RBLs changed to 9-inch RMLs. This resulted in the need to make "extensive alterations" to the fort in order to improve its strength and ability to handle the proposed guns, as well as the installation of iron shields at most gunports. Meanwhile, the proposed guns for the upper tier of the fort was dropped. Work progressed well and the Nothe Fort would be completed in 1872 for a total cost of £117,049, although major remedial work to the external stonework soon had to be undertaken.
The first soldiers to be garrisoned at the fort were the Royal Artillery's Second Battery of the 7th Brigade, which numbered 120 men. They arrived at Weymouth's train station on 28 February 1871 and were greeted by a band of the Royal Fusiliers and many local residents, before marching through St Thomas Street to reach the fort. These men were responsible for installing the original armament during 1872, with the guns arriving on-board the dockyard cutter Helena, who made a few trips that year to deliver all ten guns, equipment and other supplies. The men of the Second Battery departed in November, leaving the fort armed with four 9-inch RML guns and six 10-inch RML guns. Two 64 pounder RML guns would also be installed in casemates 3 and 5 during 1874. Additional early armament included four ML 8-inch shell guns and two 32pdr SB guns. A gun shed held five RBL 40-pounder Armstrong guns to be used on the south-west face. The caponier, which defenced the ditch and entrance to the fort, contained two SBBL 32-pounder guns and loopholes for the firing of rifles.
Operation of the fort into the 20th Century (1890s-1938)
By the 1890s, the fort and its armament had become obsolete due to rapid technological developments in warfare and weaponry. It was during this time that the fort primarily served as an infantry barracks, which saw it used for training and practice exercises. The armament was altered in c. 1890 with the arrival of seven 12.5-inch RMLs to replace some of the existing RMLs. In 1895, the fort was recorded as holding seven 12.5-inch RMLs, three 10-inch RMLs and two 64pdr RMLS. There were also two 32pdr SB guns for drill and eleven 18pdr SB guns in a saluting battery outside of the fort (established in the 1890s and removed in c. 1902). In 1900, two 6pdr quick-firing (QF) guns were added on the ramparts for defence against the new threat of torpedo boats. In 1899, a defence electric light emplacement was constructed on the north-east edge of the fort, followed by another to the south-west in c. 1908. In 1900, the fort's armament was recorded as being made up of two 10-inch RMLs, four 12.5-inch RMLs, two 6pdr QFs and two 3pdr QFs (the latter for practice). In 1900-01, a row of married quarters for the fort were built in what is now Nothe Gardens. They were demolished in c. 1973 and the site turned into a car park.
With the introduction of breach loading (BL) guns to supersede RMLs, plans were drawn up in 1901 for the installation of two 6-inch BL Mark VII guns at the fort. The last of the RML guns were removed and broken up in 1902 and the two BL guns were installed in 1903. New emplacements, complete with ready-use ammunition lockers, were built on the ramparts to hold the new guns, and a number of hoists installed below to send the ammunition up to the ramparts. In order to accommodate the added weight, the fort had to undergo some structural work including the strengthening of its foundations, while earthworks were formed to help protect the guns from enemy fire. The fort's QF guns were removed in 1906 and a third BL gun was transferred from Upton Battery and installed at the Nothe in 1908.
The fort was only occupied intermittently throughout this period, but became fully manned by the Dorsetshire RGA with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. With the threat to shipping in the area having decreased by 1916, the fort's three BL guns were temporarily withdrawn that October for service elsewhere, though the searchlights and their engines remained operational. The Dorsetshire RGA vacated and the fort was placed under the maintenance of 5th Fire Command. It was not until 1929 that two 6-inch BL guns were installed on the ramparts and these were used for practice and training purposes, including that of the Dorset Heavy Brigade Royal Artillery, who would conduct simulated attacks with the Royal Navy. A battery observation post (BOP), installed with a Watkin DRF, was erected in the south-west corner of the ramparts in 1930 to control the fire of the BL guns. In 1934, the fort's original drawbridge was removed and in 1938 the outside ditch was filled-in and the wooden bridge was replaced by a permanent roadway capable of handling heavy vehicles.
The fort was selected to be a central anti-aircraft ammunition depot for the south west region in 1938. A number of alterations had to be carried out for this new role, including the installation of an electric-operated hoist, which would send the ammunition up to be loaded onto trucks, and a loading platform. The ammunition, which was largely stored in the southern casemates and magazines, was sent off to be used by many British guns throughout the war, including as far as Coventry.
Role during World War II (1939-1945)
In 1939, a heavy anti-aircraft battery was established on the glacis of the fort. It was originally armed with two 3-inch guns of World War I origin, but these were replaced by 3.7-inch Vickers guns in 1940. The battery's remains were removed when the site was transformed into a car park in the 1970s. Meanwhile, in 1939, a specially-built brick platform was added to the north-west corner of the fort's ramparts to accommodate a 40mm Bofors gun. On the fort's northern side, a concrete bunker was built against its walls, which provided close defence across the entrance of Weymouth Harbour.
Leading up to the war, HM Naval Base Portland was considered as a base for the Examination Service, which was responsible for checking neutral merchant ships passing through the English Channel and ensuring their cargoes would not be of use to the enemy. In order to check the area's suitability, the Nothe Fort, along with other local forts and batteries, carried out exercises with their artillery. When war erupted, the proposed base was established at Portland, with the Breakwater Fort becoming the main examining battery. Nothe Fort provided a supporting role and some of the examination staff were also accommodated there.
Despite being an active military fort for almost 70 years at the time, the Nothe Fort did not encounter enemy action under World War II. While the fort's guns had only ever been fired for training exercises or competitive events, they fired in anger on one occasion when two refugee vessels from the Channel Islands were spotted approaching the harbour in July 1940. The ships did not identify themselves as friendly until after the fort fired warning shots.
Over the course of the war, the fort was primarily garrisoned by No. 552 Coast Regiment Royal Artillery, and although it did not suffer damage from German bombers, it was hit by machine gun fire. In 1941, an observation minefield of 18 mines was laid at the entrance of Weymouth Harbour, with the mines placed in groups of three. The control station for the them was built on the fort's north terrace. It was originally intended to establish the station near Weymouth's Jubilee Clock and then under the bowling green at Greenhill Gardens before the Nothe Fort was decided on.
Final military use and abandonment of fort (1946-1978)
The fort was placed under care and maintenance in January 1945, leaving only a small detachment of its garrison. The Bofors gun was removed from the ramparts. After the war, the main role of the fort was as a territorial practice battery, with No. 421 Coast Regiment (Dorsetshire) TA using the fort as a pre-camp training ground from 1947. An AA No 3, Mk 2 radar was installed in 1953 to serve the seaward defence headquarters (SDHQ) at HMS Osprey. In order to transport the radar and its equipment into the fort, a Bailey bridge was laid across the glacis to the ramparts. The fort continued its primary role of training by regularly hosting exercises with live firings until March 1956. Like other forts and military defence installations of its type across the UK, Nothe Fort was abandoned as a coastal defence that year. The regiments serving at the fort were relocated and the remaining armament removed by a scrap dealer in 1957.
The fort was then handed over to the Royal Navy, who used it as a storage site to house general stores and equipment of the Naval Degaussing Service. In 1959, no longer needed by the navy, the fort was sold to Weymouth and Melcombe Regis Borough Council for £6,000. The council originally hoped to have the fort used as an "amusement or entertainment centre". That year they advertised for interested individuals or parties to come forward with offers to transform the fort in time for the summer season and potentially keep such a centre active on a long term basis. However, these plans failed to come to fruition and the fort remained empty and unused.
During the 1960s, with the council unable to decide on how it could be put into civilian use, the fort quickly became derelict. It was regularly accessed by trespassers and squatters, which resulted in vandalism and graffiti. Much of the fort's woodwork was used as firewood and metalwork was sold to scrap merchants. Of the ideas considered for its future, one suggested using it as a hovercraft terminal, while another proposed transforming it into a luxury hotel. A conversion plan for the latter option was drawn up and work commenced in 1971, but the project was abandoned soon after. In an unsuccessful attempt to stop intruders, the council erected a barbed wire fence around the fort in 1975.
Restoration and transformation into a museum (1978-1990s)
In 1978, the Weymouth Civic Society approached the council with their idea of restoring and opening the fort to the general public. Talks continued throughout the following year and an agreement was made in February 1980. This deal was to be reviewed on a yearly basis, allowing the council the freedom to decide the fort's long-term use. Initially, the council sent a team to tidy the fort and undertake essential health and safety work, which included sealing off all areas deemed dangerous, while a number of unsafe buildings were demolished in the courtyard and on the ramparts. The Weymouth Civic Society then established a team of dedicated volunteers to begin transforming the fort into a tourist attraction.
The fort was officially opened on 29 June 1980 by the Weymouth & Portland Mayor, Councillor Mrs. Litschi. Public tours were undertaken on a daily basis over the peak season and concentrated on the courtyard and rampart areas, with a small admission charge generating funds for restoration work. The fort received 1,000 visitors in its first week of opening and approximately 9,000 by the end of the season. Working parties then began further restoration work, with a particular focus on removing remaining graffiti, while donations of military items were actively sought for exhibition. The society established a sub-committee in December 1980, which was given responsibility for the daily maintenance and restoration work of the fort.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the fort was gradually restored and developed as a museum. The first part of the magazine level opened for tours in 1982, once they had been cleared and lighting installed. The fort also received its first gun for display that year, when the Royal Navy donated a 64 pdr RML gun from HM Naval Base Portland. It had been used as a bollard on the inner breakwater and was purposely removed to be given to the fort.
At the end of 1983, the council gave permission for part of the fort to be used as a District Command Centre. The centre was to be used for civil administration purposes in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War. The necessary conversion work saw approximately a third of the magazine level transformed into command and accommodation areas (with thirty bunk beds), which were contained inside heavy blast doors. The centre was decommissioned in 1991. From 1984, the fort's volunteers received assistance with the restoration work from the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) scheme, who provided labour five days a week. The assistance continued at the fort until 1990, by which time it was being provided under the similar Employment Training (ET) scheme.
Visitor numbers reached an all time high of 40,000 in 1987. It was around this time that the fort's team decided that guided tours should be eventually replaced with unlimited public access and more displays. In 1988, a major landslip in Nothe Gardens destroyed the original sea wall spanning from the fort and a searchlight emplacement of c. 1905, which was soon rebuilt within the fort and completed in 1990. That year saw visitor numbers surpass 60,000, while in 1991, a restaurant was established within the fort and a membership scheme, 'Friends of the Fort', set-up. In 1995, the Nothe Fort became a member of the Museum and Galleries Commission, and later achieved full museum status too.
Recent years as a tourist attraction (2000s-)
The fort benefited from a Heritage Lottery Grant of £2.4 million in 2005. This allowed further restoration and repair work to take place, as well as the installation of a lift to improve disabled facilities. In 2007, the fort was subject of a survey carried out by the National Lottery, which revealed it was voted one of the spookiest locations in the UK. Hundreds of individuals applied to be volunteers at the fort for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Both the fort and Nothe Gardens were closed to the public for a two-week period during the games and only accessible to ticketed spectators. 150 people were recruited as marshals to assist with the 4,600 spectators that arrived at the site each day.
Today the fort has many displays, exhibits and audio visual facilities. In addition to promoting military history, it has developed its level of community involvement by regularly hosting drama productions, music concerts and other events. It also runs an educational World War II Evacuee Experience for schoolchildren. The fort's team is made up of five paid staff members and seventy volunteers, who are committed to upgrading the displays and facilities. The Friends of Nothe Fort group has also been established to promote interest in the fort and to encourage its growth as a museum and tourist attraction. Recent visitor numbers include 43,000 in 2005 and 38,415 in 2007.
Design
Shaped like the letter D, the fort is built largely of Portland stone, with some use of brick internally. The fort is protected by a sea wall on its seaward side, and has a glacis on the landward side. Originally accessed by an iron and wooden drawbridge, an approach road now leads along the glacis and under a tunnel to the fort's entrance. The south-west corner of the fort has a three-tiered caponier jutting across the ditch.
Constructed on three levels, the lowest is the magazine level, which was designed to store gunpowder and shells, and has a continuous passage throughout for easy access. The middle, ground level has a courtyard/parade ground in the centre, surrounded by a series of 22 bombproof casemates, which were built to accommodate the original RML guns and provide accommodation for the soldiers manning them.
The top level is the ramparts, which provided a raised platform that could be used to fire muskets and light guns during an attack on the fort. As its armament was upgraded, the ramparts had emplacements added to accommodate the modern BL guns, while the casemates would be used for different purposes in different periods, including officers' and sergeants' messes, barrack rooms, tailors' and cobblers' shops, stores, canteens, offices, reading rooms and washhouses. The first two casemates at the entrance of the fort were originally used as the guardroom and cookhouse.
Scheduled status
In 1978, the Nothe Fort became a scheduled monument. It was later noted by English Heritage that the fort, the tramway and the searchlight battery "all survive well". They added: "The fort has undergone an extensive programme of restoration since 1980 and is one of the best preserved of all examples built between 1860-70. Nothe Fort represents an integrated component of the fortifications of Portland Harbour, the development of which is fully documented in the library of the Royal Engineers and the Public Record Office, and this material is one of the most complete and detailed archives for any comparable system to survive in England. The long use and development of Nothe Fort is reflected in the survival of wider associations, including the Victorian tramway and various 20th century features such as anti-aircraft and searchlight batteries and various observation posts."
The scheduling of the site falls into the three separate areas of protection. Aside from the fort itself, the inclined tramway, located in Nothe Gardens is known as the Fusee Steps. These steps, possibly built around 1889 to bring the seven 12.5-inch RMLs guns to the fort, are bordered by walls with iron rails running along them. They were later used to transport stores and other goods from a landing stage on the quayside of Weymouth Harbour up to the fort.
The surviving defence electric light emplacement of 1899, constructed on the north side of the fort's perimeter, is included in the scheduling. The emplacement's entrance and embrasure is now sealed. The remains of its original metal shutters have deteriorated due to seawater and weathering.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC Dorset - Local History - Nothe Fort - website page
2) Dorset Echo - Hundreds apply to be Olympics volunteers at Weymouth's Nothe Fort - Laura Kitching - February 2012 - website page
3) Dorset for You - Visitor Numbers at Selected Attractions 2002-2012 - website page
4) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - Back to the future - Jill Dunning - website page
5) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Nothe Fort and Outer Gateway - website page
6) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Fusee Steps - website page
7) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Nothe Fort, Tramway and Searchlight Battery at The Nothe - website page
8) Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Museum of Coastal Defence - 8th Edition - Late 2000s - Weymouth Civic Society - book
9) Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Official Website - Museum and History - website page
10) Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Official Website - The History of Nothe Fort - PDF document
11) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 81, 82
12) Report of the Committee appointed to enquire into the construction, condition, and cost of the fortifications, erected, or in course of erection, under 30th & 31st vict., and previous statutes - 1869 - report
13) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
14) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
15) The Coastal Defences of Portland and Weymouth - E. A. Andrews and M. L. Pinsent - 1981 - supplement to the journal Fort (Fortress Study Group) - report
16) The National Archives - Weymouth and Portland Area: Nothe Fort - WO 78/5079 - declassified plans and drawings - 1894, 1901-03, 1907, 1915 - website page
17) The Nothe Fort - A History and Guide - Prepared for the Weymouth Civic Society - 6th Edition - Late 1980s - pages 2, 6 - book
18) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
19) Weymouth Civic Society - The Civic Society and the Nothe Fort - The Development of the Nothe Fort Museum - website page
20) Weymouth Civic Society - The Nothe Fort - website page
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