Nothe Fort

Built between 1859 and 1869 by the 26 Company of the Royal Engineers, Nothe Fort's strategic position at the end of Nothe Peninsula, allowed it to defend both the harbours of Weymouth and Portland from the hostilities of France. Portland had at this time, become an important Royal Navy base which needed to be protected. The fort was built with three levels. The magazine stored the ammunition, the ground level held heavy muzzle-loaded canons and soldier accommodation and the ramparts were used to fire muskets and light muzzle-loaded canons. Nothe Fort was armed with its first coastal defence guns in 1872. Twelve, muzzle-loading guns with ten inch shells were mounted in Casemates around the parade ground. Twenty years later, seven of the guns were replaced with larger and more powerful 12.5 inch muzzle-loading guns. In 1916, it was decided the threat from sea no longer posed such a risk. The soldiers stationed at Nothe Fort were redeployed to other local military positions and the guns were removed from service. However, in 1939, Nothe Fort was once again called to defend Dorset shores, this time against the threat from German invasion. Seven guns were returned to service along with an anti-aircraft gun positioned by the gatehouse. The fort became an important point of ammunition storage for the south west of England and it also helped to later protect American soldiers ahead of the D-Day landings in Normandy. In 1956, Nothe Fort was once again stripped of it's guns, and was later sold to Weymouth and Portland council in 1970. A decade later, restoration began and the fort was opened to the public as a museum of coastal defence. Nothe Fort remains open to public visitors to this day and has indeed become very popular with paranormal investigators. Phenomena experienced here includes the sound of whistling in it's corridors (named as the whistling gunner) shadowy figures, audio phenomena and an unsettling feeling of not being alone.