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Fort William is an artillery fort located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, constructed as a post-medieval fortification. Built on bedrock of the Mercia Mudstone Group—a geological formation of mudstone, sandstone and limestone dating to the Rhaetian period—the fort's position on this relatively soft substrate would have required substantial engineering to support its defensive structures and gun emplacements. The site lies at grid reference J3364077380 and is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 4743.
As an artillery fort, Fort William represents the evolution of military architecture in response to the development of cannon and gunpowder weaponry. The fort's design would have incorporated angled bastions or similar features to maximise defensive firepower and provide platforms for mounted artillery, reflecting contemporary European fortification principles adapted to the Belfast location.
Fort William remains an important example of post-medieval military heritage in Northern Ireland, documenting the strategic defensive infrastructure of its period. The monument contributes to our understanding of Belfast's historical development and the military technologies that shaped fortifications during the early modern era.
Fort william. artillery fort is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 4743. View the official record →
Fort William is an artillery fort located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, constructed as a post-medieval fortification. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 4743.
Fort william. artillery fort dates from the post-med period, and is classified as a fortification. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Fort william. artillery fort is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 4743.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brick chimney stack (ihr no.10149) (4.5 km), Cranmore house. 17th century house (6.5 km), Belvoir park mound. motte (7.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Fort william. artillery fort's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Fort william. artillery fort stands on Mercia Mudstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Rhaetian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.