Fort Burgoyne, originally known as Castle Hill Fort, was built in the 1860s as one of the Palmerston forts around Dover in southeast

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was built to a polygonal system with detached eastern and western

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s, to guard the high ground northeast of the strategic port of Dover, just north of

Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some sources say it is the ...

. The fort is named after the 19th century Field Marshal Sir

John Fox Burgoyne Field Marshal Sir John Fox Burgoyne, 1st Baronet, (24 July 1782 – 7 October 1871) was a British Army officer. After taking part in the Siege of Malta during the French Revolutionary Wars, he saw action under Sir John Moore and then under ...

, Inspector-General of Fortifications and son of the

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...

who fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Fort Burgoyne was used as a military depot or store for Connaught Barracks. Until recently the central part of the fort was still owned by the Ministry of Defence, forming part of the Connaught Barracks site, which is now being redeveloped for housing. In 2014, Fort Burgoyne and a total of 42 Hectares of land was acquired by the Land Trust. Since acquiring the site the Trust has spent over £2.5 million on priority works (informed by a Coastal Revival Fund grant aided condition survey) to stabilise the site together with transforming the West Wing Battery of the site from condition of derelict buildings and structures lost in woodland to an informal recreation space for the community opened in 2023. As part of the Trust's long term aspiration to see the Fort become a vibrant business and community space in 2023 a project was completed providing opportunities for businesses to become the first tenants on site.

Community Participation

Since acquiring the Fort, the Land Trust has sought to promote public engagement and participation with the site. While the condition of Fort Burgoyne is such that access to the site is for events only, building a relationship with the community is seen as vital for the future success of the site. In partnership with White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, the Fort hosts a weekly volunteer group, education visits, and children's activities. The Land Trust 'Green Angels' training programme also runs a number of courses on site annually. As part of the West Wing Battery transformation project, a 2 week community archaeology dig was undertaken to inform proposals for landscaping works. The Fort has hosted Dover Armed Forces Weekend in 2022 and 2023 together with community events on fields surrounding the main Fort area. An annual wildlife family funday provides an opportunity for visitors to witness both the historic and wildlife value of Fort Burgoyne. On the 29 February 2020, Fort Burgoyne was opened to the public for a day. The event was calle
Waking the Giant
and was run b
Albion Inc
as part of a commission fo
Pioneering Places East Kent
funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council Great Places programme to map out the future uses of the fort. The event featured
The Museum Of British Folklore
Weaving & Knitting b
Robert George Sanders

Katherine WoodwardBlacksmithing by Michael Hart
Ceramics b
Ceramic Art Dover
& Keith Brymer-Jones, A showing of the film ''Fortopia'' B
Matt Rowe
a demo of the

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

game
Escape
' created b
Jake Price
A presentation of future fort use by Central St. Martins, A Makers Market b
Future Foundry
and Food & Drink b
The White Cliffs

Real Deal Roasters

References

External links

The Land Trust - Fort BurgoyneVictorian Forts data sheetWhite Cliffs Countryside Partnership
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgoyne Palmerston Forts Forts in Dover, Kent Military history of Dover, Kent