Fort Victoria (Isle of Wight)

Fort Victoria
Sconce Point, Isle of Wight, England
Fort Victoria's Casemates. The brick in the foreground shows the foundations of the former barracks.
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Site information
Owner	Isle of Wight Council
Open to the public	Yes. Home to museum and attractions.
Site history
Built	1855
In use	1855 - 1969
Materials	Brick
Demolished	1969

Fort Victoria was a single tier battery with defensible barracks west of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England, built in the 1850s, later used as a submarine mining centre and training area for military purposes. The larger barrack blocks were demolished in 1969, but the sea-facing casemates were not, and form the current standing structure.

Fort Victoria Country Park

The fort can now be visited in its role as a country park. The linear park follows the coastline, and has spectacular beaches and soft cliffs. Through the wooded upper cliff area runs the old military road to Fort Albert. The path is now a part of the Isle of Wight coastal path.

Fort Victoria is the Isle of Wight's largest and most popular country park, owned and managed by the Isle of Wight Council, it has several attractions in the old fort buildings including a marine aquarium, a planetarium, a café, the Underwater Archaeology Centre run by Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology, a model railroad layout display; and the ranger base from where, in the summer months, educational visits are operated by the countryside rangers. The Fort provides easy access to the beach, (although swimming is not advised in the fast-flowing channel) and excellent views of the Solent, Hurst Castle, and passing shipping.

External links

• Fort Victoria website
• Isle of Wight Council Countryside Service, including Fort Victoria pages
• Fort Victoria Marine Aquarium
• Island Planetarium
• Underwater Archaeology Centre
• Victorian Forts data sheet

• Fort Victoria Model Railway