Ambitious £5m bid to bring historic fort back from brink
THIS impressive bastion fort is one of only a few still standing in Britain and was declared the second most endangered Victorian or Edwardian building in the country more than a decade ago.
Over the years, the Defensible Barracks in Pembrokeshire has fallen into a poor state of repair.
But now its new owners have snapped up the imposing structure for a bargain price at auction, with plans to spend £5m to bring the crumbling building back to life.
It will take £500,000 alone just to fix the roof, which will be replaced with pure Welsh slate. But the group of investors who have taken on the iconic structure, which sits on the crest of Barrack Hill with views over the town of Milford Haven and the waterway it was built to defend, are in it for the long haul.
During an exclusive look inside the imposing fort, it’s clear to see the walls are falling down, why the bridge over the 16ft-deep moat has been condemned and how hardly any of the rooms are safe to enter, let alone habitable.
Over the next four years, new owners VR1844 Ltd will undertake the ultimate fixer-upper project to transform the building into residential apartments, a museum, cafe and even a wine bar, in an attempt to return it to its former glory. They will also have to find a new home for the goats they have inherited, who are currently roaming wild in the moat.
The developers are a mix of history lovers, town planners and property developers who specialise in restoring historic buildings.
VR1844 Ltd office manager Tanya McDermott said: “We believe people never truly own a building but are the building’s guardians for a period of time.
“Taking the view that it is only the right development for the right building at the right time, it is our privilege to bring the building back into life, repair, nurture and give back to the local community, not to shut the main doors and lock the building away from people who are interested in it and its history.”
The 20-sided fort, which was built for the British military more than 150 years ago, already has planning approved for a 56-bed hotel and flats. The new plans being drawn up by VR1844 Ltd are still a long way from being submitted however.
Tanya said: “We will have to consult with everybody first – architects, historical experts, the council – so there is lots to do.”
The Grade-II listed building is thought to be the last example of a square bastion trace fortification in Europe. Famous residents of the barracks include Gordon of Khartoum, who was later deployed to join the fighting in Crimea, and Arthur Lowe, who played Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army.
Parts of the building are listed as scheduled monuments, which restricts what the group can and cannot do. They will be working closely with Cadw throughout the process, Tanya said.
As part of the build, they will have to catalogue “every single little thing” and note down every detail about the materials they find, the methods used and the original design.
A Cadw spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the consortium at Pembroke Defence Barracks and will have discussions with those involved in securing a long-term future for the fort.”
While some experts believe the huge Welsh fort was originally completed in just a year, others claim the building work on the £75,000 project began in 1841 and finished in 1846.
The imposing fort housed 16 cannons to defend the Royal Dockyard in Milford Haven from an attack, and had almost 700 rifle loops.
A cannon was fired twice a day at noon and 9.30pm, to let residents without watches know what time it was, and to inform young girls of their curfew.
Despite the barracks being built to protect, it was the source of devastation in 1942 when 19 soldiers were killed during bomb disposal training.
The first occupants of the newly built barracks were the Royal Marines of the Portsmouth Division, followed by companies from the West Yorkshire Regiment.
Following this, the Pembrokeshire Artillery, the Royal North Gloucestershire Regiment and the South Wales Borderers stayed at the barracks, with soldiers eventually leaving the fort in the 1960s.
During World War I, the fort was a siege training school for the Royal Artillerymen, and in World War II it was used as the Milford Haven headquarters, until coast defences were abolished.
Following World War II, the fort was sold to South Pembrokeshire council and was sold on again in 1987. It was bought by VR1844 Ltd at auction in September 2019.