Fort Albert

Fort Albert stands on the Isle of Wight near Freshwater, built into the cliffs south-west of Fort Victoria. It was also called Cliff End Fort after the northern tip of Colwell Bay. The fort was one of the Royal Commission forts designed in the 19th century to protect against a possible French attack under Napoleon III. Construction took four years and finished in 1856, though its design would have struggled against rifled gunfire. Extra batteries were added on the cliffs above to strengthen its defences. The fort was quickly made obsolete by the arrival of armoured ships by 1858. In 1886 it became one of the UK sites for testing the Brennan torpedo. Later, only small guns remained mounted there. Military use ended in 1957, and the fort was converted into private flats. It has been a Grade II* listed building since 1994. Today the fort remains in private hands with no public access. The best views come from the sea or from Hurst Castle across the water. The cliff-top battery above is now part of a chalet estate at Brambles Chine.