Nothe Fort, Weymouth, Dorset.
Visiting Weymouth on a fine day in August, I decided to take a close look at the harbour and “Nothe Fort” which overlooks the entrance into Weymouth Harbour.
Two Coastal Artillery Searchlight Defences can be found close to the harbour entrance.
The first one is situated at map ref SY687787 and is in somewhat poor and deteriorating condition.
Its open front now sealed with concrete blocks, as is its side entrance. Its heavily rusting metals shutters crumbling away as the seawater spray takes its effect.
Strangely, this box does not appear on the Defence of Britain Data Base, but another situated nearby on the edge of Nothe Fort does.
This reconstructed installation was removed from its original site and rebuilt a short distance away just inside the fort, map ref SY686787.
It houses an original 90mm searchlight and associated equipment and can be studied at close quarters by access from Nothe Fort.
By Tim Denton