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Fortress

Thorne Island

Wales

Coordinates
51.6918°, -5.11814°
Links
Wikimedia Commons
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Thorne Island in Wales
Photo: Thorne17 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Description

Thorne Island is a rocky islet and part of the community of Angle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, with an area of 2 acres (8,100 m2), dominated by a coastal artillery fort built to defend the Milford Haven Waterway in the mid-19th century. It has been the site of a number of shipwrecks, including one in 1894 that was carrying a cargo of Scotch whisky.

Thorne Island commands the entrance to the anchorage of Milford Haven and access to the former Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock. A proposal was made to fortify the island in 1817, but it was not implemented. In the 1850s, there was growing concern about the increasing strength of the French Navy since the French invaded Fishguard in north Pembrokeshire and controlled it for 3 days.and the expansionist policy of the Emperor Napoleon III. Work started on the existing fort at some time after 1852 and '1854' is carved above the entrance.

The fort is an irregular polygon in plan and was designed with a seaward facing battery for five RBL 7-inch Armstrong guns and four 68-pounder guns, all mounted en barbette (i.e. in an open mounting, firing over a parapet). The landward side of the fort consists of a defensible barracks, with a loopholed parapet overlooking the entrance.

In 1860, the report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom commented that "Although these batteries [ie: Thorne Island Fort, Dale Fort and West Blockhouse Fort] would prevent an enemy from making use of the anchorage at the mouth of Milford Haven, they would not prevent the passage of steamers of war, and therefore would not suffice to protect the dockyard or the haven itself." This was due to the limited number and size of guns that the existing fort could bring to bear on any fast moving target. The report recommended to Lord Palmerston that further forts should be strengthened or constructed to counter the potential threat of the French Navy. Eventually twelve forts were constructed around the entrance to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven including Fort Hubberstone, Popton Fort and Stack Rock Fort.

The fort was converted into a hotel in 1947, and could be rented for weddings, stag parties, and other special events. It became a Grade II* Listed building in 1996, because it was "a well-preserved fort of Palmerston's Haven defences".

Text adapted from “Thorne Island” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the rankings

Thorne Island ranks #5,782 of 9,902 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #96 of the 110 mapped in Wales. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,808 times in the last 60 days, more than 71% of the atlas. 9 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Swansea, 81 km away. See how Wales compares in the castle statistics.

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