Fort Victoria (Isle of Wight)
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Fort Victoria was a single tier battery with defensible barracks west of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England, built in the 1850s, later used as a submarine mining centre and training area for military purposes.
The larger barrack blocks were demolished in 1969, but the sea-facing casemates were not, and this is now all that remains of the Fort.
[edit] Fort Victoria Country Park
The fort can now be visited in its role as a country park. The linear park follows the coastline, and has spectacular beaches and soft cliffs. Through the wooded upper cliff area runs the old military road to Fort Albert. The path is now a part of the Round the Island Footpath.
Fort Victoria is the Isle of Wight's largest and most popular country park, owned and managed by the Isle of Wight Council, it has several attractions in the old fort buildings including a marine aquarium, a planetarium, a café, the Underwater Archaeology Centre run by Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology; and the ranger base from where, in the summer months, educational visits are operated by the countryside rangers.
The Fort provides easy access to the beach, (although swimming is not advised in the fast-flowing channel) and excellent views of the Solent, Hurst Castle, and passing shipping.
