Fort Rowner

Fort Rowner, built around 1860, is one of a group of polygonal fortresses, closely resembling Forts Brockhurst and Grange situated along a defensive line. The fort is a symmetrical six-sided polygon, its outer lines forming a very obtuse angle where caponiers project into the moat, facing in each direction. These caponiers are situated above triple gun casemates. Caponiers also feature at the north and south-west angles (“shoulders”) of the fort, covering each flank. The gorge begins as lower barrack blocks, continuing as a wall that crosses the moat of the central keep. Ramps lead from the centre of the fort to the shoulders. The main battery’s design includes a covered way, a wide water-filled moat (over 100 feet wide), and an earthen rampart backed by storage casemates. The rampart's top has open gun emplacements, with sunken and vaulted expense magazines in between. Flank batteries feature Haxo casemates above ground-level casemates, with loophole protection provided by earthworks — some of which are now eroded. At the centre of the gorge is a circular “keep of last resort”, surrounded by a moat. The outer part of the keep comprises casemates with small caponiers (having only rifle loops) that project into the moat. The inner part is a two-storeyed barracks, facing a circular courtyard. A roadway runs along the fort's axis, crossing the moats via drawbridges and featuring granite round-arched portals on each face. The keep is topped by a substantial earthwork that originally held open gun emplacements for fire across the parade ground. The fort’s construction mainly utilises red brickwork, with granite surrounds for the main openings. Numerous original details remain, including iron railings, steps, and chimneys, and the overall structure is largely intact, with only minor losses and some erosion of the earthworks. Recent brick and timber buttments are present within the parade.