Fort Charlotte, Lerwick, United Kingdom

Fort Charlotte in the centre of Lerwick, Shetland, is a five-sided artillery fort, with bastions on each corner.The first incarnation of the fort was built between 1652-1653 during the First Anglo-Dutch War. Little is known of the original structure and no trace of it has been found.

The second structure was built on the same site by Robert Mylne under the orders of Charles II at the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1665 at a cost of £28,000. It held off a Dutch fleet in 1667 which thought it was far more heavily manned and gunned than it actually was. In fact, the walls were unfinished and there were few guns. At the end of the war it was slighted when the government decided not to station a garrison in Lerwick, and it was unmanned when the Dutch burnt it in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

It was rebuilt in its current form in 1781 and named after the wife of George III but has never seen service during hostilities since then. It housed a garrison during the Napoleonic Wars and was later a base for the Royal Naval Reserve. From 1837-75 it was used as the town jail and courthouse and later a custom house and a coastguard station.

Due to land reclamation and subsequently erected docks and buildings in front of the fort, it no longer dominates the shoreline and buildings in close proximity means the overall shape can only be seen from the air.Today Fort Charlotte is managed by Historic Scotland, and is the base for Shetland's Territorial Army. Visitors must call to get the keys to visit.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Manish Kumar (3 years ago)
Good place to visit. Don’t be afraid if you find the front door closed, there is another one upside.. anyway you are in Shetland, you need to find other doors, because usual ones are closed early.

New Roads (3 years ago)
Very easy to get too,can be seen clearly when entering the Town.Easy entry by a main entrance or by a side walkway.Grounds are well maintained with the usual information boards in place.

Arthur Jordan (3 years ago)
Fort Charlotte overlooks Lerwick harbour with some obstruction from newer buildings. There are good information boards on the site explaining the history of the fort.

John Smart (3 years ago)
What a lovely place. Great views of Lerwick and over the water to Bressay. A nice place on a lovely day.

Julian Adams (4 years ago)
It's a nice fort and we'll worth visiting. Only took 10 mins to look round but there's some info boards and the kids climbed on the cannon, nice views.

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