The Little Fort

GODALMING NEW WAY SU 9643 NE (west side) 12/182 The Little Fort - II

Fort, now part of house. 1843 for Anne Oglethorpe and Eleanor Marquise de Mezieres; altered; added to considerably C20. Bargate rubblestone with dressed stone quoins; concealed bitumenised roof. A single cell of 2 storeys, square on plan. South side: quoins; pointed-arched quoined doorway with heavy wood frame and 4-panel door (panels glazed) with graffiti "GM1827"; above door is bracketed ledge to former C19 bay window, now replaced by large mid-C20 window; embattled parapet with pitched coping to merlons and flagpole. On right, mid- C20 single-storey addition, not of special interest, masks ground floor of right return which on 1st floor has 2 gun slits with raised surrounds. Left return: 2 rectangular windows to ground floor with plain surrounds, and 2 gun slits above with raised surrounds. Rear, encased in late C20 addition, has inserted window and door openings to lower floor, and former pointed-arched doorway to upper floor made into square-headed doorway mid C20. Extensive late C20 additions to rear of fort and set back on either side are not of special interest. Originally access to the roof was by rope ladder, from the upper floor. Anne Oglethorpe and Eleanor Marquise de Mezieres, were sisters of General James Oglethorpe who owned Westbrook. While Oglethorpe was away in America, founding the colony of Georgia, Anne lived at Westbrook, with Eleanor a frequent visitor. The two of them were staunch Jacobite supporters and involved in various plottings. The Little Fort was one of 2 forts which they built along a pre-existing vineyard wall (constructed by Oglethorpe) in order to prepare Westbrook as a stronghold. None of the other forts survive. D Coombs, The Godalminq 400 (1978), pp 20-22. C Terrot, "House of Jacobites and Red Indians", Country Life, Dec 1.1960, pp1348-1349.

Listing NGR: SU9653143832