Ref Number: 00416
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Golden Hill Fort - The lovely yellow laburnum bushes growing on the hill gave the name to this unusual hexagonal Fort.
Ref Number: 00416
It was built to provide a defensive barracks for the commanders and troops operating the several shore gun batteries and emplacements protecting the Needles approaches, halfway between Freshwater and Yarmouth and to the west of the picturesque river Yare.
In 1862, the strength was decreased from 250 soldiers to 8 officers and 128 men, with an additional complement of physicians and nursing personnel.
The design is hexagonal in two levels 31ft high scarps, with an entry via a tunnel and a drawbridge. Although the defences were strong, they were not built to withstand a large onslaught. With just 18 light cannons on the top, they did garrison the gunners from both Cliff End and Warden Point batteries, as well as Hatherwood.
During the 1914-18 war, the fort was converted into an infantry training station, with approximately 30,000 Duke of Cornwalls being trained there. Between 1939 and 1945, it served as a depot for British and Canadian soldiers, and in 1945, it served as a barracks for RASC watercraft troops.
It was returned to municipal authority in 1962 and was then used for light industrial units until circa 1985, when it was converted back into a craft and small museum complex. Permission was granted in the fall of 2005 to convert the fort into flats, which was still under progress when we visited the site in 2010.
After extensive renovations, the fort has been transformed into a stunning collection of flats.
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