Bowden Fort is a former 19th-century

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, built as a result of the Royal Commission on National Defence of 1859. Part of an extensive scheme known as

Palmerston Forts The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The forts were built during the Victorian period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the ...

, after the prime minister who championed the scheme, it was built to defend the landward approaches to the north east of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, as an element of the plan for the defence of the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport. Designed by Captain (later Maj General)

Edmund Frederick Du Cane Sir Edmund Frederick Du Cane (23 March 1830 – 7 June 1903) was an English major-general of the Royal Engineers and prison administrator. Early life Born at Colchester, Essex on 23 March 1830, he was youngest child in a family of four sons and ...

, it was built by George Baker and Company and finished by the Royal Engineers. The fort was connected by a military road to the nearby

Crownhill Fort {{coord, 50, 24, 49, N, 4, 07, 48, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Crownhill Fort is a Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, Royal Commission Fort built in the 1860s in Crownhill as part of Lord Palmerston's ring of la ...

and

Forder Battery Forder Battery is a former 19th-century fort, built as a result of the Royal Commission on National Defence of 1859. Part of an extensive scheme known as Palmerston Forts, after the prime minister who championed the scheme, it was built to defend ...

. It was armed with 12 guns and 3 mortars. To house part of the fort's garrison a barrack block for 12 men was built within the rear section of the fort. By the early 1900s the fort had become obsolete as a defensive position and was disarmed. By 1960 it had been sold by the War Office to

Plymouth City Council Plymouth City Council is the unitary authority for Plymouth, Devon. It has traditionally been controlled by Labour or the Conservatives. The council is currently in a state of no overall control, with the Conservatives governing as a minority ad ...

. It was

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1973. It is now used as a garden centre. The rear gorge has been filled in and now provides car parking.

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book, first=Freddy, last=Woodward, title=The Historic Defences of Plymouth, publisher=Cornwall County Council, year=1996, isbn=978-1898166467 Forts of Plymouth, Devon Palmerston Forts Military history of Devon