Scheduled Monument: Fort George (SM6692)

The monument known as Fort George consists of an artillery fort, built by the Government in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite Rising to replace the earlier fort at Inverness. Construction began in 1748 and was completed in 1769. The fort is an angle-bastioned defensive structure designed to house 2,000 soldiers. The fort defences comprise outworks, including a covered way, ravelin and ditches, and ramparts containing five bastions and two demi-bastions, joined by lengths of curtain wall. Casemates beneath parts of the ramparts provide additional bomb-proof accommodation for the garrison. The parade ground is in the east of the fort, flanked by the imposing artillery and staff blocks. Beyond these are two large U-shaped barrack blocks around a square, then the ordnance and provision stores. At the western end of the fort is the garrison chapel. The site lies on a promontory, at 0-5m above sea level and 1.1km W of Nairn. The area to be scheduled is irregular in plan to include the remains described above and surrounding area within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive. It includes the fort and an area that retains the level ground surface created at the time of the fort's construction and may also retain evidence for activities associated with the construction and use of the fort. It extends to the mean low water mark of spring tides on the N, S and W. To the E, it extends beyond the glacis, to include all defences and an area around these within which remains associated with their construction and use are likely to survive. Excluded from the scheduling are the top 30cm of the surfaces of the modem roads, hard standings and footpaths, to allow for their maintenance. The above-ground elements of fences are also excluded. For the avoidance of doubt, the chapel (still in ecclesiastical use), the sergeants' sleeping quarters, the staff block and barracks and the sergeants' mess (all occupied as dwelling houses) are specifically excluded from the scheduling. The monument, which lies in the Parish of Ardersier and the County of Inverness as shown in red on the Plan annexed and executed as relative hereto and which forms part of the subjects described in the Disposition by John Campbell in favour of His Majesty and His Royal Heirs and Successors dated 22 August 1767 and recorded in the Division of the General Register of Sasines for the County of Inverness on 9 January 1768 (the present owner whereof being Secretary of State for Defence, MoD Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB), is hereby included in the Schedule of Monuments appearing to the Scottish Ministers to be of national importance compiled and maintained by them under section 1(1) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.