The Fort

The Fort is a house that was originally built in 1803 for the governor of the gaol, designed by George Byfield for John Orridge. It is now divided into flats. The building is made of red brick and features a moulded brick dentil cornice, although it now has a 20th-century penthouse roof. Originally, it was at the center of radiating wings that contained the prison cells. The structure is square with wide splayed corners and has three storeys plus a cellar. Each front has a range of three windows, featuring small-paned sashes, most of which are 20th-century replacements, with many blocked. There is a single window on each storey of the splayed corners, with the ground storey windows being tripartite. All ground storey windows are set into shallow segmental-arched recesses with a stucco band at impost level. The entrance door, which is from the late 20th century, is fully glazed with two leaves and is approached by a flight of stone steps flanked by low walls. There is also a mid-20th-century flat-roofed and rendered two-storey extension on the west side. The interior has not been inspected.