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Opening to the public Saturday 19th July 2025

In the spirit of Portland and Weymouth’s Towns of Culture 2025 theme, Reveal, Nothe Fort is unveiling a new exhibition exploring the lives of the rebels and daredevils who took over the Fort during its time of dereliction.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Nothe Fort was invaded and inhabited by groups of young people who made the building their own. From the daring ways they made their way into the fort, to the hair-raising games they played inside it, this group of young people breathed new life into a building that had been abandoned by the authorities and left to become derelict.
Lucy Watkins, Co-General Manager of Nothe Fort said:

“Nothe Fort’s period of dereliction is one of four key stories in the fort’s history, and one that we’re working hard to see better represented in the future.
In the meantime, we’ve launched this series of portraits and stories to reveal the spirit of youth in older people and disclose the extraordinary ways in which their presence at the fort breathed new life into it.”

From Saturday 19th July, visitors to the Fort will be able to explore a curated collection of break-in story displays and films, and to also view the striking portrait gallery of rebels, taken by photographer Pete Millson.
The Then and Now display boards around the Parade Ground have also been updated by the maintenance team, showing fascinating side-by-side comparisons of the Fort’s derelict past against its modern status as a well-loved award-winning visitor attraction.

Nothe Fort would like to thank all the scallywags who shared their stories and helped bring the exhibition together: John Grindle, Ian Wolff, Morag Greer, David John Rogers, Tony Victor Wraight/Yeti, Trevor Lewis, Tim P, Roseanne Derrett, David Taylor Eckersley, Barry Sapsford, Peter Drage, Matthew Berns, David Barlow, Andrew Leafe, Maria Gregory, Adrian Humm, Ann Caldwell, Tony Prowse, Trad Casey, Stephen Royston, Sarah Washington, Keith Hawker, Rose, Michael Mott, Gary Fooks, Angela Lewis, John Grindle; Writer and historian, Stuart Morris, who generously shared his photos of Nothe Fort’s period of dereliction; Volunteer, Geoff Culver, for editing the image and oral history video for exhibition.

The Amnesty Exhibition will be open for visitors to explore until the end of November 2025, and entry to the exhibition is included in Admission tickets and Annual Passes.

The team at Nothe Fort is looking forward to sharing more stories with you from this period of the fort’s history in the future.
Got a story to tell? Email Nothe Fort at: info@nothefort.org.uk