Fort Cumberland

Fort Cumberland is a fort built in 1746 by the Duke of Cumberland and reconstructed in 1786 by the Duke of Richmond, with some alterations and additions in the 19th century. The structure is made of stone and brick and was originally designed in the shape of a five-angled star. After its reconstruction in 1786, it took on its current form, featuring a wide pentagonal rampart with five sharply angled bastions at each point, a dry moat, a glacis, and one ravelin. The ramparts are faced with stone on the outside and have brick parapets, with segmental arched gun ports that conceal deep tunnel-vaulted brick casemates covered with several feet of earth. Historically, the fort is a direct descendant of the bastioned fortress design that originated in Italy in the late 15th century and represents the final development of this architectural style in Britain. It is considered one of the best examples of 18th-century defensive architecture remaining in the country and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.