Elizabeth Fort

By Crusader1307

Located in Cork, Ireland – Elizabeth Fort was named for England's Queen Elizabeth I. Originally buolt of timber, local Cork Citizens attacked the Fort in 1603 (burning it down). A stone Fort was began soon after. By 1624, a Star Classification Fort was completed and garrison by 300 British soldiers. Even a small Church was added. In 1649, Oliver Cromwell had the Church removed. Elizabeth Fort featured prominently during The Williamite Wars of the 1690s. The heavy cannon of the Fort blasted away at nearby Cork (until it capitulated). Used as a Prison in 1817, it was a “holding pen” for many convicted convicts bound for Australia's Botany Bay Prison Colony. It remained the primary “starting point” to that location until 1837. The darker side of Elizabeth Fort came into being in the late 19th and early 20th Century, when the infamous “Black and Tans” (British/Irish Constabulary) was stationed there. Taken over during The Irish Civil War, Elizabeth Fort was burned in 1922. Partially rebuilt in the 1930s, The Fort served as an emergency Air Raid Shelter during WWII. After The War, Elizabeth Fort was used by The Irish Garda (Police) until 2013. It is currently empty with plans to renovate it into a Museum.