Bembridge Fort has been awarded £250,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help secure its long-term future and bring the historic landmark back into community use.
The funding, as previously reported on by Island Echo, marks the start of a £370,000 restoration project, with the remaining £120,000 to be raised through a new philanthropic fundraising campaign led by the Bembridge Fort Trust.
Built in the 1860s as part of Lord Palmerston’s defences to protect the Solent, Bembridge Fort has stood watch over Sandown Bay for more than 150 years. After decades of closure and decline, the grant will help restore key areas of the site, including the Victorian officers’ quarters and parade ground, while tackling structural issues and water damage that have threatened the building’s survival.
Over the past year, the Bembridge Fort Trust has already undertaken vital safety works to stabilise the structure and protect rare historic features. This new funding will allow the team to move forward with more extensive repairs and prepare the fort for eventual reopening to the public.
Leah Mew, Supervising Architect from LMA Heritage Consultancy Ltd, said:
“This very welcome funding boost from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will allow us to lay the groundwork that will secure the future of Bembridge Fort. The vital works proposed are both ambitious and complex and will be carried out in a way that respects and protects this historic landmark. The community will have a key voice in shaping that future.”
David Reeves, Chairman of the Bembridge Fort Trust, added:
“Bembridge Fort deserves a bright future, and securing this funding is a key milestone in creating that future. I would like to thank the volunteers and Trustees whose tireless work made this bid possible. Their knowledge and dedication were instrumental in achieving this success. We’re also deeply grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to National Lottery players for making it possible.”
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The project will also provide new opportunities for volunteers, schools and local groups to get involved through tours, workshops and heritage events. The aim is to reconnect the community with the fort’s remarkable story, from Victorian military engineering to its wartime role as a radar station.
Stuart McLeod, Director of London and South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“Bembridge Fort is an important heritage asset and we’re proud to support this project to restore and reconnect the community with it. Thanks to National Lottery players, the project will help unlock the fort’s potential as a place for learning, engagement and celebration of its rich history.”
Work on the project is expected to begin in early 2026, with hopes that the fort will welcome its first visitors within the next two years.
Further on the history of Bembridge Fort is to be found in the following article.
