About Us
The Fortress Study Group was formed in 1975 at Pembroke College, Oxford to provide an opportunity for those interested in fortifications and military architecture to meet, get to know one another and publish their work. Since then the membership has grown to around six hundred, representing over thirty countries worldwide. They include professional architects and historians, retired or serving members of the armed forces as well as professional institutions and those with a casual but enthusiastic interest.
Publications
The Fortress Study Group actively encourages the research, study and recording of fortifications of all periods and publishes FORT, an annual journal, which contains articles about the theory, development, practice, conservation, adaptation and reuse of fortifications and military architecture. The society also publishes Casemate, a well-established magazine which appears three times a year.
Activities
Every year the FSG organises an AGM and Conference weekend in the UK, which includes trips to local sites of interest to the group and lectures on aspects of fortification. Previous conferences have been held in Alderney, Chatham, Cork, Cornwall, Dover, Edinburgh, Harwich, Hull, Inverness, London, Milford Haven, Newcastle, Orkney, Pembroke, Plymouth, Portland, Portsmouth, Ulster and the Isle of Wight.
There is an annual Members Day, where members are encouraged to speak on aspects of fortification that they have visited, and a Study Day to a site of special interest. There is also an annual Study Tour to examine fortifications in other countries. Countries visited include Belgium, Bermuda, the Czech Republic, France, Gibraltar, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Slovenia, and many other locations.
Members have been actively involved in restoration schemes such as Fort Amherst, Coalhouse Fort, Harwich Redoubt, the Needles Battery, Fort Nelson, Newhaven Fort and Spitbank Fort. FSG members were also actively involved with the Defence of Britain Project, taking a leading part in the recording process. The Group also operates a system of regional correspondents in the British Isles.
In March 2010 the FSG organised a symposium entitled 'Fortifications at Risk' to explore ideas on how the derelict fortifications of the 19th and 20th centuries in Britain might be protected and preserved. A second symposium is being planned for 2013.
International affiliations
The group actively co-operates with other national and international societies with similar interests in other countries throughout the world. It is a member of the International Castles Institute (IBI) and a founding member of the International Fortress Council (IFC).
Library
The Fortress Study Group owns a library of books and other reference material which is located at Fort Nelson and is available to members by arrangement.
For further information about the group please contact the Secretary at secretary@fsgfort.com or the most appropriate committee member (see Contacts page).