Fort George is one of three ruined fortresses on the island of Vido, in front of the east coast of central Corfu. The fortress is located in the southeast of the island. The other fortifications are Fort Schulenburg and Fort Wellington.
The first defensive structures on Vido started to be built during the Venetian rule of Corfu. Under French rule, the existing fortifications were strengthened and expanded. Two new fortresses, called Napoleon’s Redoute and Signal Redoute, were built and connected to the existing fortifications by tunnels.
When the British took over the rule of the Ionian Islands, they demolished all the French buildings and constructed three new fortifications to replace the French ones. The defensive structures were designed by Lieutenant W. Worsley and were built in secret. Maps were even drawn incorrectly to deceive potential enemies.
Signal Redoute was replaced by Fort George, named in honor of George IV, the King of England at that time. The Fortress had a pentagonal shape, and its construction was a prestigious architectural project as its design was ahead of its time, and the fortress was supposed to be indestructible.
Fort George was surrounded by a ditch and its walls were equipped with galleries, loopholes, and canons. Inside the fortress was another keep, resulting in a fortress within a fortress, for additional security and a last line of defense equipped with heavy artillery.
The entire new British defensive system was, however, never used. As part of the agreement of the Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece of 1864, the fortresses were blown up again. This is why Fort George is completely in ruins and partly overgrown. Only one part of the defensive walls has been preserved, which gives some idea of how it looked in the past.
