Fort Charlotte, Shetland facts for kids
Fort Charlotte is an old military fort located right in the middle of Lerwick, which is the main town in Shetland, Scotland. It's shaped a bit like a five-sided star. It has strong corners called bastions that stick out. These bastions helped protect the fort from attacks by land and sea.
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Building Fort Charlotte
Fort Charlotte was actually built more than once! The very first version was put up between 1652 and 1653. This was during a time when England and the Netherlands were fighting, known as the First Anglo-Dutch War. We don't know much about this first fort, and no parts of it can be found today.
The Second Fort
A new, bigger fort was built on the same spot in 1665. This happened at the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. King Charles II ordered it to be built, and a man named Robert Mylne was in charge. It cost a lot of money, about £28,000!
In 1667, a Dutch fleet tried to attack the fort. Even though the fort wasn't finished and didn't have many guns or soldiers, it managed to scare off the Dutch. They thought it was much stronger than it really was!
After the war ended, the government decided not to keep soldiers at the fort. So, it was left empty. Because it had no one guarding it, the Dutch came back in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War and burned it down.
The Fort Today
The fort you see today was rebuilt in 1781. It was named Fort Charlotte after the wife of King George III. Even though it was built for fighting, it has never been attacked since then.
During the Napoleonic Wars, which were big wars in Europe, soldiers were stationed at Fort Charlotte. Later, it became a base for the Royal Naval Reserve, which is a part of the navy.
Over the years, Fort Charlotte was used for many different things. From 1837 to 1875, it was the town's jail and courthouse. It also served as a custom house, where taxes on goods were collected. And it was a coastguard station, helping to watch over the seas.
Fort Charlotte's Location
Today, Fort Charlotte looks a bit different from how it did when it was first built. Over time, new land was created near the shore, and docks and buildings were put up. This means the fort no longer stands right on the water's edge. Also, because there are so many buildings around it, you can only really see its full shape from above, like from an airplane!
Fort Charlotte Today
Today, Fort Charlotte is looked after by Historic Environment Scotland. This group helps protect important historical places. The fort is also still used by the military. It is the main base for Shetland's Army, which are soldiers who train part-time.
