Historian and campaigner Charles Guard has hit out at the hidden nature of an ancient Manx fort in the north of the island, as well as the general lack of information about many other sites.
In his latest video, Find the Fort, Guard highlights just how difficult it is to find, or even get to, the site of Kerroogarroo Fort, under the care of Manx National Heritage.
He describes how the fort is “hidden away” north of St Jude’s and the video demonstrates how signs to it are barely visible or non-existent. He also laments the like of information at the site itself and the overgrown state of the area.
“It just looks like an abandoned site,” he comments. “Frankly, it’s outrageous.”
In the video, that you can watch below, Guard explains how the fort was a giant earth work put up by the 7th Earl of Derby in the early 1640s, as part of the defence network for the island against Parliamentary forces..
“It is a fantastic piece of history. Not that you’d know any of that if you come here.”
The lack of information at the site, and many others in the island, he says, is “not doing our great heritage in the countryside justice”.
Guard says he does not blame Manx National Heritage, but calls for greater investment in the island’s historic sites.