Built in the 1860s by the Royal Engineers, Nothe Fort was designed to counter new advances in French naval technology and protect the British coastline from a feared invasion. As part of a co-ordinated national defence network, it worked alongside neighbouring forts and the Royal Navy to safeguard the country.

Behind its thick stone walls, soldiers trained, kept watch, and maintained the fort’s defensive equipment. Many lived here with their families, who cooked, learned, played, and created a community within the fort’s boundaries.

Today, Nothe Fort offers a vivid glimpse into Victorian life in a busy coastal stronghold – a place of duty, routine, resilience, and home.