Crownhill Fort is one of the great Victorian defences built to protect Plymouth from a feared nineteenth-century invasion. Its ramparts, dry ditch, tunnels, and gun positions show a very different military story from the naval dockyard and waterfront below.
Access can depend on open days and events, so check before crossing town. When it is open, the fort is rewarding for anyone interested in military engineering: the scale is impressive, and the position makes clear how Plymouth was defended from land as well as sea.