Shoreham Fort
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Shoreham-by-Sea
What it’s like
A Napoleonic-era coastal fort you can only get into on the volunteers' open days, tea and history included.
This isn't a wander-in-anytime ruin. Shoreham Fort is free to visit, but it's only actually open when the volunteers are on site, roughly once a fortnight on a Saturday, from 11am to 4pm. You'll want to check the events page before you set off, because turning up on the wrong day means looking at it through a fence.
When it is open, it's the volunteers who make the visit worth it. They run the site, keep an eye on which bits are safe to walk round that day, and staff the little refreshments hut, Food for Fort, where a hot drink is a pound. There's not much detail here on ramps or trails, so don't expect a polished heritage attraction with a gift shop. This is a working restoration project you're dropping in on.
If you fancy something a bit more structured, there's the Tin Hut Talk in the evenings, £8 a ticket and a hot drink thrown in. It's a nice way to get the history properly explained rather than piecing it together from information boards.
Parking is the one genuine faff. The car park next to the fort is council-run pay and display, and the Friends of Shoreham Fort have no say over the price or the spaces, so don't expect any special arrangement just because you're visiting the fort itself.
Need to know
- Parking
- Council-run pay and display car park adjacent to fort
- Food
- For Fort (refreshments) open on work days, with drinks at £1.00
- Check the events page before travelling, open days are irregular and not every Saturday
- Some areas may be closed off on the day for safety while restoration work is going on
- The Tin Hut Talk is a paid evening event, separate from the free daytime open days
- Bring change for the car park since it's council pay and display, not run by the fort
Plan your visit
Is it free to get in?
Yes, entry's free on the open days. The Tin Hut Talk evening event is £8, which includes a hot drink.
When can we actually visit?
Only on the scheduled open days, which are irregular Saturdays roughly every fortnight, 11am to 4pm. It's worth keeping an eye on their events listings so you don't turn up to a locked gate.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking link, so it looks like you just turn up on an open day.
Is there anywhere to get food or drink?
Food for Fort serves refreshments on work days, with drinks at £1. That's about the extent of the catering, so don't plan a full lunch around it.
Is there parking nearby?
There's a pay and display car park right next to the fort, but it's run by the council rather than the fort itself, so prices and spaces aren't something the volunteers control.
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