West Blockhouse Fort

West Blockhouse Fort stands on a rocky headland near Dale in Pembrokeshire, overlooking the Milford Haven Waterway. Built in the mid-19th century, it replaced an earlier Tudor blockhouse ordered by Henry VIII in 1539. The fort was designed to defend the anchorage with support from nearby Thorn Island Fort and Dale Fort. The fort’s construction began in the early 1850s amid fears of a French threat under Napoleon III. It originally mounted six 68-pounder guns but was later adapted for modern breech-loaders in 1901. After military use ended in 1956, it fell into disrepair before being restored by the Landmark Trust in the late 20th century. Visitors now find a well-preserved example of a Palmerston Fort, with holiday apartments inside the converted barracks. The original brick vaulted roof has been reinstated, and the fort is Grade II* listed. The surrounding cliffs and views over the waterway remain striking, while the nearby West Blockhouse Battery’s concrete emplacements stand as relics of later coastal defences.