Fort George is a colonial fort which was erected on the northeast edge of Road Town

Road Town

-See also:* Government House, the official residence of the Governor of the British Virgin Islands located in Road Town-External links:*****...

, Tortola

Tortola

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...

 in the British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...

 above Baugher's Bay. The site is now a ruin.

The original structure is believed by some to have been built at an unascertained date by the original Dutch settlers

Joost van Dyk

Joost van Dyk was a Dutch privateer who was one of the earliest European settlers in the British Virgin Islands in the seventeenth century, and established the first permanent settlements within the Territory...

 of the islands to protect slave pens that were built in Port Purcell below. It is likely that the initial structure was built in response to a massacre of the inhabitants of the original settlement in Baugher's Bay in 1625.

However, the main fortification was built (or rebuilt) by the British in the late 18th century around the outbreak of the American war of independence as part of the general upgrade of the fortifications of Road Town.

The fort was named (or re-named) after King George III

George III of the United Kingdom

George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...

.

Fort George formed part of a formidable defensive network of forts around Road Town at this time, including the eponymous Road Town Fort

Road Town Fort

Road Town Fort is a colonial fort which was erected on Russell Hill in Road Town, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands above the town's main wharf. In historical records it is sometimes referred to as Fort Road Town...

 (under what is now the site of the Boungainvillea clinic), Fort Burt

Fort Burt

Fort Burt is a colonial fort that was erected on the southwest edge of Road Town, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands above Road Reef Marina. The site is now a hotel and restaurant of the same name, and relatively little of the original structure remains...

 above Road Reef on the south west side of the harbour, and Fort Charlotte

Fort Charlotte, Tortola

Fort Charlotte is a fort built on Harrigan's Hill , Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The fort was named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who was the wife of King George III....

 set high above on Harrigan's Hill.

Fort George never actually engaged in combat after restoration by the British. The combination of the formidable martial defences of Road Town, and relatively small strategic and economic importance of Tortola persuaded both foreign colonial powers and privateer

Privateer

A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...

s and pirates alike to focus on other targets within the region.

Today the remains of the fort are barely recognisable. Despite being featured in the British Virgin Island government's promotional website the remains of the Fort are on private land, to which there is no public access. The property has a house on it, which is rented, and access to the site depends upon the goodwill of the incumbent tenants. the remains are predominantly used as storage.