Monday, 22 August 2022

Fort George

Fort George, a little north east of Inverness, Scotland, is built on a promontory jutting in to the Moray Firth. It protects the approach to Inverness and was started in 1748 to control the Scottish Highlands following the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. It replaced a previous Fort George within Inverness itself.

Building work took nearly 25 years to complete and, at a cost of £200,000, came in at more than double the budget (some things never change!). The external walls are extremely thick, covered with soil and turf and protect casement rooms designed to keep occupants safe in the event of attack although an actual attack has never taken place. Numerous gun emplacements cover the approaches and help protect the barracks buildings inside as does a drawbridge approach from land.

The fort was used for training for the D-Day landings in WWII and is still a military garrison being home to the Black Watch although closure is scheduled for 10 year's time. However, despite the military presence the fort is open to the general public with access to many areas some of which are set out as they would have been over a century ago and it is certainly worth a visit.


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the history - great tour and photos!

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  2. Love the photos, did you had a private tour😀

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  3. There was the option of an audio tour but it was something to do with a mobile app and a QR code which is all too techy for me! There were numerous information boards so we made do with them.

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