Fort Grey

The rock on which Fort Grey stands was once known as Château de Rocquaine and is said to have been a meeting place for witches' sabbaths. The current fortress was constructed by the British in 1804 during the Napoleonic Wars. It was named in honor of Charles Grey, the 1st Earl Grey, who served as Governor of Guernsey from 1797 to 1807. Fort Grey, like the other Martello towers on the island, was designed as a central defensive point for a battery. Compared to British Martello towers, those on Guernsey are smaller, with Fort Grey itself being larger than the towers of Fort Saumarez and Fort Hommet. Each of these towers was equipped with a 24-pounder carronade on the roof. In 1891, the War Office in London sold Fort Grey to the States of Guernsey for 185 pounds. During World War II, the fortress was occupied by German forces.