Brean Down Fort

The exposed location of Brean Down was already settled in the early to middle Bronze Age, as archaeological finds demonstrate. The current fortress was built in the 1860s as part of the so-called Palmerston Forts, a chain of defensive structures erected after a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to France and their concern about the French Navy. The fort was intended to secure the approaches to the ports of Bristol and Cardiff. After its decommissioning in 1901, it was reactivated in World War II and served as a coastal artillery battery and a testing ground for experimental weapons. Since 2002, the site has been owned by the National Trust and has undergone extensive renovation.