Our History

The Fort, from which The Fort Café takes its name was built in 1629 to protect the town from French and Dutch ships as well as pirates from the North Africa. It stood above the café, now the cricket field, and boasted four 12 pound cannons and a 6 pound field piece. The guns were removed after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In 1859 two 24 pound cannon were installed following fresh threats from across the Channel. These were moved to Peak Hill in 1862.

The Fort Cottage was in existence long before the arrival of the guns. Its outer wall is the rough stone inner wall of the café.

In 1925 the cottage was developed into flats and the frontage further developed into a café in 1932. This in turn became The Fort Hotel in 1934 and operated as such until the outbreak of the 2ndWorld War when it was requisitioned by the Government for the duration. In 1950 it was converted back into the café and flats.

I always wanted to work for myself and bought the business in June 2014. I trained as a Chef at Worcester Catering College from 1994 to 1997 and so have been in the hospitality business for 27 years. On leaving college I joined  Phil Vickery for a three year apprenticeship at the Castle Hotel in Taunton. I spent a year in France before becoming Head Chef of the Colwall Hotel in Malvern. I was employed as Head Chef at a number of Hotels before Joining The Riviera in Sidmouth where I became Executive Chef before buying the Fort Café. 

The main business remains as a café, coffee shop and ice cream parlour but occasionally I keep in practice by producing fine food for special parties and as a take away during the lockdown. We even produce the ice cream on the premises to my own special recipe!