Golden Hill Fort was a defensible barracks at

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, England, built as part of the

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and B ...

defences by the 1859

Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom was a committee formed in 1859 to enquire into the ability of the United Kingdom to defend itself against an attempted invasion by a foreign power, and to advise the British Government on ...

to provide manpower to man the defences at the western end of the

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Built in hexagonal form, it accommodated 8 officers and 128 men, and had its own hospital. The garrison for the nearby Hatherwood Battery was held at the fort. In 1914 33 Company

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...

was based at the Fort. The Fort is a local landmark which is in a very prominent position overlooking much of the land looking south towards

Afton Down Afton Down is a chalk downland, chalk down near the village of Freshwater, Isle of Wight, Freshwater on the Isle of Wight. Afton Down faces Compton Bay directly to the west, while Freshwater is approximately one mile north. It was the site of t ...

. Whilst operational, the area was kept clear of vegetation to allow views out to the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit whi ...

. The name Golden Hill refers not to the spectacular golden display of flowering European gorse, but to an historic landowner named ''Gauden''. The building, which is a Grade 1

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, is now in private ownership and not open to the public. It was derelict and had not been used for many years, passing through numerous owners. Planning consent was granted in 2003 for conversion to residential use, with the listed building consent updated in 2007. Golden Hill Fort was converted into 18 dwellings by Golden Hill Homes between 2008 and 2011.

Golden Hill Country Park

The surrounding land is open to the public as a

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...

. The site is owned by the

Isle of Wight Council Isle of Wight Council, known between 1890 and 1995 as Isle of Wight County Council, is the local authority for the Isle of Wight in England. Since 1995 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, being a non-metropolitan cou ...

and managed by

Gift to Nature A gift or present is an item given to someone (who is not already the owner) without the expectation of payment or anything in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is intended to be free. In many cou ...

. It is an open

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

with areas of scrubby secondary woodland, featuring long views across Afton Down and Freshwater Bay,

bridleway A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider ...

s, 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; and 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.

References

Publications

External links

Golden Hill Country ParkVictorian Forts data sheet
{{Palmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight Buildings and structures on the Isle of Wight Golden Hill Forts on the Isle of Wight Country parks on the Isle of Wight Grade I listed buildings on the Isle of Wight Grade I listed forts Government buildings completed in 1859 Military installations established in 1859 Parks and open spaces on the Isle of Wight