- Golden Hill Fort
Golden Hill Fort was a defensible barracks built as part of the Palmerston defences by the 1859
Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom to provide manpower to man the defences at the western end of theIsle of Wight ,England . The Fort is a local landmark which is in a very prominent position overlooking much of the land looking south towardsAfton Down . Whilst operational, the area was kept clear of vegetation to allow views out to theSolent . The name Golden Hill refers not to the spectacular golden display of gorse but to an historic landowner named "Gauden".The building, which is a Grade 1
Listed Building , is now in private ownership and not open to the public. It is derelict and has been unused for many years, passing through numerous owners. Planning consent was granted some years ago for conversion to residential use, but this has only been recently implemented. The current proposed conversion into 18 luxury apartments is due to be completed towards the end of 2008 to early 2009. The developers are working closely with English Heritage, to restore the fort to its original state.Fact|date=October 2007The surrounding land is open to the public. It is managed as a
country park by theIsle of Wight Council , and is an opengrassland with bridleways, viewpoints and a small car park.The soil types on which it stands are complex and support a wide range of plants, including the chalk loving yellow-wort and dwarf thistle, dyer’s greenweed, a feature of neutral soils and gorse which is associated with more acid soils. These attract a good range of butterflies. The habitats vary and there is a transition between open grassland, scrub and woodland. "Golden Hill Fort" was also a memorable place used for large raves and organised parties starting from the early 1990s.
External links
* [http://www.ecastles.co.uk/goldenhill.html Picture]
* [http://www.iwight.com/countryside Isle of Wight Council Countryside Section]
* [http://www.goldenhillfort.co.uk./ Golden Hill Fort Official Website]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2008/05/13/ppalmerstonfort113.xml/ Sunday Telegraph Article: Golden Hill Fort]
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