Nothe Fort

A Victorian coastal fort on the headland at the entrance to Weymouth Harbour, with 360-degree views across the Jurassic Coast, Portland, and the bay. The fort was built in the 1860s as part of a chain of Palmerston fortifications along the south coast, and its walls, underground passages, and gun emplacements are largely intact.

The interior houses a museum covering the fort's history from the Victorian period through the Second World War. There are working cannons, period uniforms, and interactive exhibits suited to children as well as adults. The views from the ramparts over the harbour mouth are the best in town.

things to do sight museum history
A story
The fort was built between 1860 and 1872 at a cost of £90,000, as part of Prime Minister Palmerston's system of coastal defences prompted by fear of a French invasion. It never fired a shot in anger — though it was used as an anti-aircraft station in both World Wars, and the underground passages still contain Victorian and Second World War gun emplacements.