‘It would seem very fitting to end our 2025 season with the event that kick started us in the first place’
The coming weekend will be a “momentous” occasion for Fort Paull as it marks a year since the historic site officially reopened. The visitor attraction closed in 2020 but was brought back by ‘The Two Nicks’ – Nick Taylor and Nick Moore – who ran a campaign to keep it open.
The heritage site, which dates back to the 16th Century, was used to store ammunition during the Second World War. It closed after around 20 years as a museum and an application was later rejected to turn it into a caravan park.
After acquiring the site last year, the Two Nicks reopened it with a classic American car show on September 28 and 29, 2024. Now they are lining up the very same event to end the main 2025 season – though there is more on the way soon including a Halloween night and a Christmas market.
Mr Taylor said: “This weekend marks a momentous stage in our recent fort life. We took on the site in May 2024 and worked tirelessly to get the site turned around after five years of closure and foliage taking over the site.
“We marked our official opening last year this weekend with an American car show, which was very well attended, so it would seem very fitting to end our 2025 season with the event that kick started us in the first place.
“We have an open day at the fort this Saturday with some cars and the main car show will be on Sunday 28th – and there us usually over 100 incredible machines to look at. We do however have a few events after this weekend’s event but we still see this as our end of season. In October, we have a Halloween night on the 31st October, a fireworks night on the 2nd of November and a Christmas Market on the 15th and 16th November.”
Reflecting on the journey that brought the Fort back to life, Mr Taylor added: “We do often chuckle sometimes when we’re wandering around together and look back at where we started with just a couple of shovels in May 2024 and to see how much we have achieved in as little as 16 months, considering the state of the site at the beginning.
“We know that we are by no means perfect. However, this is a long-term project in which our small committed team are dedicated to achieving, in bringing the fort back to life within our vision.”
Mr Taylor, a former Royal Marine, first became temporary caretaker at the site in the autumn of 2023. He was granted permission by site owner Brian Rushworth to reopen the fort with Mr Moore, who was behind a campaign to keep Fort Paull open as a heritage site with a museum.
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