Charles Fort (Cork)

Located just a short distance from Kinsale in West Cork, Charles Fort was constructed in 1677 on the site of an earlier Norman fortification. It is a classic example of a star-shaped fort and has five bastions.

The Devil's and the Charles', the two bastions facing the sea, were for defending the harbour and both have gun embrasures inside and on top of the walls.

The North, Flagstaff and the Cockpit are the three landward bastions.

All three of these had a brick sentry box at their outermost point, two of which still survive today.

Across the estuary is James Fort, an earlier structure designed by Paul Ivy in 1602.

After the "Battle of the Boyne" in 1690, the Williamite forces arrived in Kinsale and attacked both forts.

William Robinson, architect of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin, and Superintendent of Fortifications, is credited with designing the Fort.

In the last few centuries Charles Fort has undergone many changes and it continued to be garrisoned until 1922. There have been significant restoration works carried out in recent years.

Amir AakhtarFrédéric Vallée