35 Forts to explore in England

Arbeia was a large Roman fort in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England, now ruined, and which has been partially reconstructed. It was first excavated in the 1870s and all modern buildings on the site were cleared in the 1970s. It is managed by Tyne and Wear Museums as Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum.

Berwick Barracks, sometimes known as Ravensdowne Barracks, is a former military installation of the British Army in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. Built in the early 18th century to the design of the distinguished architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, the Barracks was among the first in England to be purpose built. The 'By Beat of Drum' exhibition gives you an insight into the life of the British infantryman from the Civil War to the First World War.

The Roman fort at Binchester lies above the River Wear just outside the historic town of Bishop Auckland (Co. Durham). Known to the Romans as Vinovia, it commanded the main road that ran from the legionary headquarters at York northwards to Hadrian's Wall. It formed a key element of the complex frontier system that lay both sides of the Wall that marked the northern-most edge of the Roman Empire for nearly four hundred years.

Brean Down's fort was built to defend the country against a possible Napoleonic invasion. The fort is now a ruin, but you can still wander around the buildings and imagine what life must have been like living and working on the down. The Fort was also used for exterior scenes of the Royal Marines attack on the villains base on Cragfest Island in episode six of 1978 HTV series The Doombolt Chase. Pottery and jewellery from the Early Bronze Age have been unearthed. Many of these archaeological dis

British Camp is an Iron Age hill fort located at the top of Herefordshire Beacon in the Malvern Hills. The hillfort is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is owned and maintained by Malvern Hills Conservators. One of the iconic attractions in this area and attracts a lot of tourists.

Burrough Hill is an Iron Age hillfort in Burrough on the Hill, 7 miles south of Melton Mowbray in the English county of Leicestershire. Situated on a promontory about 210 metres above sea level, the site commands views over the surrounding countryside for miles around. There has been human activity in the area since at least the Mesolithic, and the hillfort was founded in the early Iron Age.

Cadbury Camp is an Iron Age hill fort in Somerset, England, near the village of Tickenham. It is a scheduled monument. Although primarily known as a fort during the Iron Age it is likely, from artefacts, including a bronze spear or axe head, discovered at the site, that it was first used in the Bronze Age and still occupied through the Roman era into the Anglo-Saxon period.

Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot. The castle contains all the elements of the typical medieval fortress, and has been lovingly cared for by its present owners, who have opened it to the public. It was one of the iconic attraction in this area which attracts a lot of tourists.

Canterbury was fortified by the Roman in the third century AD. These walls were still standing in the late 1060s when the Normans built a motte-and-bailey fortification there. This was replaced with Canterbury Castle in the late eleventh century. The town walls were rebuilt in the fourteenth century. The large 80 feet high keep, the third largest in England after Dover and Rochester, was rebuilt in stone between 1086 and 1120 close to the Roman Worthgate.

Chesters Roman Fort is the most complete Roman cavalry fort in Britain - wander around the unusually well-preserved baths and steam room, and the officers' quarters.Spend a day out wandering around the unusually well-preserved baths and steam room, and the officers' quarters. You'll find hundreds of ancient artefacts beautifully displayed with e-readers to guide you around the John Clayton museum.

Croft Ambrey is an Iron Age hill fort in Herefordshire, England. The fort is on high ground beyond and adjoining the north-east boundary of National Trust Croft Castle parkland. The nearest settlements are the villages of Yarpole, Aymestrey and Yatton, and the hamlet of Mortimer's Cross. The Mortimer Trail waymarked long-distance footpath passes the site.

One of the most beautifully located fortresses in England. For over 600 years Dartmouth Castle has guarded the narrow entrance to the Dart Estuary and the busy, vibrant port of Dartmouth. It offers stunning views of the estuary and out to sea and offers a great family day out, whatever the weather. This fascinating complex of defenses was begun in 1388 by John Hawley, privateering Mayor of Dartmouth and the prototype of the flamboyant ‘Shipman’ in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Epiacum Roman Fort, which is also known by its modern name of Whitley Castle, was built concurrently with Hadrian's Wall. It controlled access along the Maiden Way, an important road connecting that frontier with the wider Roman world, but the primary duties of its garrison would have been to oversee the surrounding lead and silver mines. Unlike most Roman forts that have a "playing-card shape" , Whitley Castle is lozenge-shaped to fit the site.

a 12th century fortification owned by the Constables of Holderness. The site was dominated by a rectangular stone tower that had been built in the mid-fourteenth century and this would have been surrounded by a Great Hall and a host of other ancillary buildings. The tower remained occupied for around 200 years.

Fort Henry was a five-sided, open-bastioned earthen structure covering 10 acres (0.04 km2) on the eastern bank of the Tennessee River, near Kirkman's Old Landing. The site was about one mile above Panther Creek and about six miles below the mouth of the Big Sandy River and Standing Rock Creek. It was a critical point of defense for the Confederacy, protecting Nashville, Tennessee and the railroad route between Bowling Green, Kentucky and Memphis.

Fort Nelson is home to the Royal Armouries' national collection of artillery and historic cannon – the big guns – and is a great day out for all the family. It was built in the 1860s to protect against a potential invasion by the French, which never materialized. You can explore a fully restored Victorian fort with its high ramparts, original fortifications, massive parade ground, and underground tunnels, plus a national museum housing over 700 pieces of artillery from across the world and span

Fort Victoria was built between 1852 and 1855 as one of a series of defences built to protect the western end of the Solent. It was a brick-built triangular fort with two seaward batteries meeting at a right angle. It remained in use until 1962. Parts of the fort were subsequently demolished. The Fort’s brick casemates currently host a series of indoor family attractions including a cafe, reptilarium and planetarium.

Hadrian's Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire in northern England to stop attacks by Scottish tribes. There were three legions working on it and in 10 years it was nearly finished. Set amongst the wild beauty of Cumbrian and Northumbrian landscapes, it still impresses today and stands as a testimony to the power and reach of the mighty Roman Empire. Today you can explore the Wall’s rich history and its dramatic landscape at over 20 fascinating sites.

The fort at Hardknott has established early in the second century AD: a fragmentary inscription, dating from the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, from the south gate records the garrison as the Fourth Cohort of Dalmatians, from the Balkans. One of the highest Roman forts in Britain is set amid dramatic scenery on a notoriously difficult road.

A majestic fort built in 1808 to defend the port of Harwich against a Napoleonic invasion. It is 200 feet in diameter, is surrounded by a deep ditch and can only be entered by one removable drawbridge. Part of the fort is now used as a military museum and battle re-enactments and other events are held during the summer months. The fort was restored by the Harwich Society as a voluntary project.