South Pembrokeshire’s Chapel Bay Fort and Museum at Angle is marching onwards to the Easter launch of its second exciting season.

The Victorian coastal artillery fort will re-open on Good Friday, March 25, from 10 am to 4 pm, right through to Easter Monday, March 28. It will then remain open until October on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as Bank Holiday Mondays.

The scheduled ancient monument was completed in 1891 and is the earliest known fort in the world constructed principally in mass concrete. It opened its gates to the public for the first time in April of last year and enjoyed a successful first season, despite being restricted to pedestrian access only from the Coast Path.

Now, however, visitors will be able to drive direct to the fort. A new access road and car park has been completed by contractors G. D. Harries, thanks to the Coastal Communities Fund.

The Coastal Communities Fund is funded by the Government with income from the Crown Estate’s marine assets. It is delivered by the Big Lottery Fund on behalf of UK Government and the Devolved Administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

New galvanised gates have been made by Kingswood Engineering, of Pembroke Dock, with a generous donation towards the cost being received from one of the fort’s volunteers, Alistair Graham-Kerr, of Beccles in East Anglia. They replace gates built by volunteers from railway sleepers 15 years ago.

Visitors will see the biggest gun and shell in Wales; a 25 pounder gun howitzer, a 5.5 inch gun and a 10 inch 18 ton rifled muzzle loading gun, as well as an impressive collection of historic weaponry.

Guided tours, at a cost of £5, take in the museum of military technology - a memorial to the men who served and trained there - underground works and tunnels, gun emplacements and magazines. The fort has disabled access.

A new display area tells the story of 500 years of ammunition, from a stone cannon ball of the 15th century to the guided missiles of today. There are also special displays on the First World War, bomb disposal, artillery, small arms, the telephone exchange and the Royal Artillery forge and workshop.

Refreshments are served at The Cookhouse café on the site, with free entry for visitors who do not wish to explore the fort.

In its successful first season, the fort welcomed many visitors of all ages, as well as a number of groups, including the Pembrokeshire Young Men’s Visually Impaired, the Country Landowners’ Association and personnel from the Castlemartin Tank Range. All gave excellent feedback.

Much of the fort’s success is down to its volunteers. But more volunteers, to help with its operation, maintenance and café, are always needed. Anyone who would like to be involved in the project should contact 07437 568654 or email [email protected].

Visitors can contact the fort and museum by phone on 07437 568654; email [email protected]; visit the website at www.chapelbayfort.com or write to Chapel Bay Fort and Museum, Angle, Pembrokeshire, SA71 5BE.

Twelve Victorian forts were built in the 19th century to defend the Milford Haven Waterway and the Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock, and Chapel Bay is the first to open to the public.

Chapel Bay Fort is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It was set up in 1995 with the long-term aim of opening the fort as an interpretation centre for the military history of Milford Haven and its environs.