"Huge pot of money" handed to the Nothe Fort in Weymouth
The Nothe Fort will receive hundreds of thousands to start damp-proofing work
Last updated 22nd Mar 2023
Nothe Fort in Weymouth has been handed £320,000 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to solve its problems with damp inside the fort.
This is the largest amount given to Nothe Fort in 10 years and will help address several leaks, a dated drainage system and blocked gutters.
The fort, which has sat on a peninsula for the last 150 years, gets very damp. James Farquharson, Chairman of Nothe Fort, joked: “It’s fair to say they didn't have damp proofing in mind when they built it.”
The popular heritage site also sits in a “very exposed position” which doesn’t help the damping issue. James added: “We're right on the end of the harbour, the see laps around our foundations. The weather comes in off the channel and dumps rain all over us.”
But unfortunately, the damp has created an on-going problem for the fort’s museum: “We put artefacts in there and within a couple of weeks they start to go mouldy,” James said.
The funding is said to help get rid of most of the damp and allow the Weymouth Civic Society operators of the Nothe Fort develop the museum which without the £320,000 funding would not be possible.
James noted: “We can't afford to do big works on such a vast structure, just from our ticket sales. We need funding for these projects because without it, the place of just deteriorate.”
They told us that they plan to remove damp from the Cold War bunker and create an immersive experience for visitors. James said: “The immersive experience will make people feel what it might have been like to be under the threat of nuclear attack.”
He also plans to make improvements to the Victorian gun deck where canons are pointing out to the sea but “putting electronics there now wouldn’t be a good idea because they’ll just get damp, rusty and fall to bits.”
The work, which is expected to be complete within two years, will take place during weekdays and will aim to minimise disruption to visitors.
Despite its issues with damp, Nothe Fort is still the third biggest attraction in Weymouth, behind only the beach and the harbour.
James Farquharson believes it’s key in telling the historic story of the seaside town and plays “an integral part of people's understanding of Weymouth”
He added: “We're really happy that the community around Weymouth and Portland will look at Nothe Fort and say that's been really well looked after.”