Fort George

51 Pages·2001·32.526 MB·English

by  Iain MacIvor

F o r t
G e o r g c
ry
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@ visitors'carparl
@ nat,eh gaftttoase and oisitor centre
@ Pincipal bridgc
@ Pincipat gate and gaardmoms
@ Pince of Watcs! Baçion
@ Soath cascmaad curtain and sallyport
@ f;oe Willian Henry's Basrion
@ r;o
@ Pince Fndcicl William'sD emi-bastion
@ Point Bancry
@ Dale of MartbomugïsD emi-bastion
@ PrinceH nm Fredeicl\ Bastion
@ Nonh casenatecdt rnaina nd sallyport
@ Dogccnaery
@ DrIe ofCrnberland\ Basrion
@ cott ottt
@ Parade
@ Artitterl bhcl
@ cotsemor!l touse
@ snlyu-*
@ Lit*-g*"-or's and fort-major's ltouses
(Rcgimental Museam of Qaeen\ Oan Highlanden)
@ Banaclsqaare
@ Histoic banacl-moms
@ Gmnd nagazine (inctildins ùe Scafeld Colbction of Arms)
@ Worlsltops
@ ordroorr rtoo,
@ Sealort*' Regimental Insritute
@ Pr-itioo tton and bale4
@ Prooitioo tton and braoery
@ Ganison Ctapel
@ Pnncipat ditct
@ Batardraa
@ n*aio
@ no"aioa ;A
"'/'' @ C-todroy
@ Ptaceo f arms
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The PrincipalB ridgea nd Gate The gate leadsi nto a tunnel, vaulted in brick,
beneatht he rampart;t he tunnel still hasi ts original
The main body of the fort is approachedo ver rhe
massived ouble-leaveds, tudded and barredd oors
ditch by a bridge (176.5-6a)t the centre of the east
hung in 1766$ or the previous decadet he enlrance
curtain 3 . The third span from the ravelin was a
had only temporary barriers).T he tunnel opens out
drawbridgeo peratedb y upper counterpoise
into an arcadedv estibule. At the southeasts ide of
beams( reinstated,f ollowing rhe originalp lans,i n
the vestibulea doorl eadst o a stairc ommunicatinq
1980).T he innermosts pan,a gainsrr he principal
with the ditch below the principalg ate.
gate,w as alsoa drawbridgew hich could be raised
to cover the gate.B oth drawbridgess urvivedu ntil
The Guardrooms
about 1900b y which time the whole bridge was
in a very decayeds tate:f or some time the enlarged On eithers ideo f the vestibuleb ehind the principal
souths allyporth ad been useda st he chief enrrance gacea re two vaulted chambersh ousingt he main
and the originala pproachw as neglecced. guard of the fort 4 . The smaller guardroom,
on the north side, was for officers: che lar$er
$uardroom on the south was for non-commissioned
officers and men. Behind the officers' guardroom
is the prison - known in the eighteenth and early
'Black
nineteenthc enturiesa s the Hole'. It was
abandonedw hen new cellsw ere incorporated
into the north provisions torei n the nineteenth
century( seep ages1 6-17),b ut not before David
Abernethy,s erving6 0 daysf or being drunk on
guard,h ad carvedh is name and crime on one of
the wallsi n 1831.
Tlc amorials of tle pincipal gate,o itl Scotlandi mpaling
Englaadi n ûê rtN qlartcr (top left), Francei n tlc sccoad,
Inlaad iz tlc tùird, and Haxmserin tie foutl.
Anidst all tlis intcrzationall craldic pomp, it is disconccnintgo
fad tlrat tlc arms of Scotlanda n carcedw mngfu- tlc dotble
tnssan (tlv liacsb orderingti e arms) is omitted!
Daoid Abcnetlry'sg raffiti ia tlc prison bcsidetÀ cp rincipal gaa.
The design for the principal gate 4 was made The soldiers'g uardroomh as been recreateda sa
originallyb v Skinner as part of his abortive guardroomo f the 1880s,w hen the fort was serving
projectt o rebuild Cromwell'sf ort at Inverness, as the depot of the SeaforthH ighlanders.W hen
and wasc arriedo ut without changca t Ardersicri n Fort Georgew as built, the men slept on a
1753-6C. ontrastingy ellow and red sandstone communalw ooden shelf-bedp laceda gainstt he
emphasisesp airso f Doric pilasterss, upportinga eastw all. By 1880t his had been replacedb y the
heavy pediment bearing the royal arms. metal turn-up beds there today.
StandingO rdersi n 1808r equiredt he:
'sentinek...
at the guardhouser Joor.. to taÈc charge
of a// pisoners, turn out tlte guard to a// field
offtcers. Not to suffer people to aash at tlte pump.s,
nor to alloa cltildren or idle people to play about
them or any dir4 oater to be emptied near trtem.
He is to attend to the ca// of the sentry at tlte Gate
and to aarn the sergeanto f the guard and to keE
peoplef rom aalÈing on thc grass path nrepting
fficers and their families'.
The Rampart
The main defencei s the ramparrf orming a firing-stepa t the parapetl evel ofthe flanks,a long
concinuousli ne round rhe fort, made up of the adjoining lengths ofcurtain (called scarps)a nd
bastionsa nd demi-bastions( half bastions)jo ined acrosst o the adjacent bastions.B ehind the
by lengthso f curtainw all. It is reachedb y six parapeti s a broadl evel fighting platform,c alled
rampsa round the inrerior.T he bastionsa nd the rhe terrepleinp, roviding ample space for the
ravelin were mostly named after close relatives of movement of men and guns and for the
Ttedat - 1757- GeorgeI I (JohnC hurchill, Duke of Marlborough, constructiono f additionald efencesi n time o[
iaciscda ncrt lc door was not a member the royal family). George, siege.T he outer angleso f the bastionsa re capped
into thcpdcr Prince of Wales( who succeededt o the rhrone in by sentry boxes from which the whole of the
magazhca t tle 1760)w as his eldestg randson. scarps might be obser ved. At the salientso, r
Point Banay.
outward-pointinga ngles,o f the easrb asriont he
terreplein is raised for long-range batteries firing
'in
barbette' over the pârapets.F our heavy
mortars,c apableo f firing bombs up to 2.4 km in
front of the fort, were emplaced on rhe terreplein
of the east rampart. They were subsequen tly
removed, together with the rest of rhe fort's
artillery towardst he closeo f the nineteenth
century. The guns and mortars there now are
not the originala rmamentb ut they convey an
impression of its former firepower.
Prince of W'ales'sB astion 5 survives as built.
Apart from the four heavy guns of the barbette
battery there are embrasuresf or two more heavy
guns firing out to sea from the south face, and for
All bastionsh ave a polygonal plan made up of nine lighter pieces;f ive on the north flank covering
twofacest owards the field and twoflanÊs. Their the main ditch, two on the east face covering the
design gives a complete cover of defensive ravelind itch, and two on the wesr flank covering
fire from the cannon embrasuresa nd musketry the south sallyport. The north and east faceso f
Tlc rctdr cttrUia
looling castftwn
Dale of tltarltomagft's
Dcmîbaçtioat ooatdç
PriaccH eary
Fndcricl's Bastion.
this b:rstiong ive a very good gcneralv iew of the thror-rght he fort between the south sall_vport
<lutu,orkso n thc cast front and a viewing point and the principalg âte,m ost inconveniently
identifiest he variousd efensivce lements. for travellersa nd soldiersa like. In about 1790
'l'hc a new cutting was made through the glati-r
south casemated curtain 6 had barrack- (counterscarpb ank) of the eastf ront for the
roomsf ilr accommodationin times of siege,
travellers:t he cutting wasc overcdb -vt he guns on
brick-r'aultedt o u,ithstanda mortarb omb.
the eastf lank of PrinceW illiam Henry's Bastion.
Though it was not so intended,t he nervo pening
In the middle of the curtain the south sallyport
through the glacisp rovideda shortc ut to the fort
leadso ut to a place of arms ( 1761--5a), m ustering
itself from the east.T he sallyportw as subse-
point for a sortie.T he sallvporth asb een enlarged
quently widcned and replacedt he intentionally
to form the modern main entry to the fort and the
awkward approacht hrough the eastf ront as the
casre nd of the placeo f arms hasb cen removedt o
main entry.
impruve the approachr oad.
'l-he
In the middle of the south front is Prince William west end of the fort is desieneda s two demi-
Henry's Bastion 7 , named after GeorgeI I's bastions, named after George II's youngest
third grandsonT. he best view of the main powder grandson,F rederick William 9 , and the
store,t he grand magazine,m ay be had from this Duke of Marlborough 11 , on each side of the
bastion,u ,hiche ncloscsi t. F'romt he south face of Point Battery 10 commandingt he channel
the bastionm av be seena pool of water.T o the between the fort and Chanonry Point. The battery
east (left) of the pool, and no longer visible, was the had twen ry artillerye mbrasureso n the terreplein
pier constructedr o land building materialsf or the and two on the flanks of the demi-bastions.
fort.'lo the west of chep ool (right) is the surviving Embrasureso n the north and south faceso f thc
later pier 8 , used to bring ashores uppliesf or demi-bastionsw ere soonb locked - possiblyw hile
thc garrison,t o servet he civilian ferry acrosst o building was scilli n progressB. elow the terreplein
ChanonrvP oint, and to embark and disembark the Point Battery had a small powder magazine,
man-vo f the units which passedt hrough the fort. and casematesf or four 32-pounderg uns,i nstalled
Thus from the very beginningt he south sallyport in 1760.T he casematesc,o mpleted in 1758,w ere
took a great deal of traffic. At first it also took one of Skinner'sf erv modificationst o his original
'l'hey
civiliansr .rsingth e ferry who had to go right design. were subsequentlyb locked up.
Finpooer: A 12 - pouder on tlu Princeo f Wales'Bs astion Finpowcr: A lcatry 13" imn mofiar emplaced on tlrs cast rampoî.
covcnt lu pincipal bridge.
About 1u(r0r rc o.astal-defenceb attery llrrs installed In thc nridcllco f thc north casematedc urtain l3
'l'hc
in thc north and rrc st frontso f the firrt. rrcç an rrn:lltcrccsl rlllport lcaclst o thc north pl'aceo f
'l'hc
gun cnrplrrccmcntsd cstrotcd plrrtso f the parll-rct arms 14 . scas oonr vlslrcclp :rrto f this lrrvrrr'
:.rncslo r.nco f thc scntn boxes,i ncluclingt hosco f ltndi t uls rclruiltl s it cxistsn oq. It urs leterr rscd
thc l)oint Ilrrttcn, u hich hclclr hrec of rhe ncu bv thc ScefirrthI Jighlrurtlcrse s rrc enretcrl firr
\\'eapons.'l'hcsucc lp<lns\ \'crcs ct on rroodcn tlrcir pet dogs.
platformss hich r-noveda longi ron rrils.
llrrlf of rhc origir-rr[ln rbcttc battcn in I)uke of
'l'hrcc
gLrnsu erc mountcd on Prince Henry (lumberland's Bastion ((icorgc II's sccontls on)
I'-rederick's lJastion (( icorge I I's firur th grancsl on) , 15 rvasr en rovcclr r hcn thc Victorilrnc rrlrllccnrcnts
rcphcing firur originalc ntbrlsures 12 . lles idc thc
gun nrountingsa re smallc xpensen tagazincasn d
shot: .rncslh cll rcccsscsb uilt into enclu ndcr thc A lteadstonien thed oge emetery.
'l'hc
thickcnedp arapct. t*o guns now on displn'
hcre rntl lt the l)oint llattcn lrc Arr-nstronNg lrrk
lll riflccl( r-l-pounclcrfso. und rcccntlv in the
Oalcclor-ria(lnln rl in Invcrncssr ncl lrroushth er c.
'l'hcv
*crc probrblv rcmovedf iom thc H.l\1.S.
llriton vhen shc rvasb roken up aftcr \\:orlcl \\'rrr
'l'he
Onc. hollou ccntre of the bastionc ont:rins
the u'orkshopy ard.