Fort Lapointe: A Coastal Defence Fort at Fouras, France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page5 sections
History
Fort Lapointe, also known as Fort Vasou, is a coastal fort at Fouras in France, built from 1672 on the right bank of the Charente near its estuary. It was the first defensive work protecting Rochefort, a major French naval facility and military port, and formed part of the arsenal’s coastal defence system.
The fort housed a garrison of several hundred men and carried about fifty cannons. English forces damaged it in 1757, after which the defences were altered and a semi-circular battery was incorporated into the complex.
The army later decommissioned Fort Lapointe, and the property was sold to a private individual in 1950. The fort complex has been protected as a French historic monument since 8 February 2002.
Remains
Fort Lapointe occupies the Charente’s right bank close to the river mouth. Its later defensive arrangement centres on a substantial artillery battery, with military buildings added along the battery during the nineteenth century.
Battery and Military Buildings
Semi-Circular Battery
The semi-circular battery measures approximately 130 metres in diameter. It was designed as a fortified position for operating artillery, including the cannons that formed part of the fort’s armament. The battery represents the principal later modification to the defensive layout after the damage inflicted in 1757.
Barracks and Shell-Storage Warehouse
A barracks and a warehouse for storing artillery shells were added to the battery between 1860 and 1880. These buildings expanded the military functions of the complex by providing accommodation for personnel and storage for ammunition.
