Lenan Fort

The saved account records: Three concrete blockhouses, built 1916, to defend the ditch, backed by shallow trenches to rear.

The saved account records: British Army former coastal defence battery, built 1902, with barracks, associated structures and surrounding fortifications, located on small peninsula.

The saved account records: Multiple partially demolished structures in linear arrangements to south-west and centre of site.

The saved account records: Flat tarred reinforced concrete roof, concrete water tank, rendered red brick chimneystacks with clay pots, remnant cast-iron rainwater goods, red brick walls, square-headed window openings, sandstone ashlar lintels over concrete sills, timber-framed windows, cast-iron bars to window in rear elevation, square-headed door openings with sandstone ashlar lintels.

Lenan Fort matters for the exact reasons given in its official assessment, rather than merely because it is an old structure. The source records: Lough Swilly was one of the three “Treaty Ports” retained by Britain after the Treaty in 1921. The site is of historic importance, shedding light on the strategic value of Lough Swilly and provides an insight into the defensive thinking of military planners and the skills of military engineers. The site was returned to Irish control in 1938 and manned by 6th Coastal Battery, Artillery Corps. 120 men were garrisoned there during the Second World War. In 1946 the fort was placed in care and maintenance with only a caretaker present and finally abandoned in 1952. This explains what the place adds to local life, the street or the surviving built history.