FORT REGENT LEISURE CENTER

It is easily identifiable, thanks to its large white dome that covers the hill overlooking the city center. It was King Edward VI who decided in 1550 that a fort should be built on this strategic hill. The aim was to provide the island with a defensive fort, a place of retreat for the inhabitants in case of invasion. But in the end, it would be a long time before the fort was built, long after the fortresses of Gorey and Elizabeth Castle. The plans for the Regent were drawn up during the Napoleonic Wars (there was a fear of invasion by Napoleon's troops) by John Hambly Humphrey. The beginning of the work was delayed for financial reasons. The fort was nevertheless built between 1806 and 1814 and named Regent, in honor of the Prince Regent of the time who would later become George IV.

The defensive system included towers, batteries, ramparts, arsenals and barracks. All this... for nothing. Because before its completion, the battle of Waterloo put an end to the reign of "the one for whom" the fort had been built: Napoleon. The British troops nevertheless remained there until 1928.

After the departure of the military, the islanders did not know what to do with this immense building that dominates the city. In the 1970s, it was finally transformed into a temple of sports and leisure. Swimming pool, tennis, gym, games, auditorium, etc., and always a beautiful view on the city and the sea. There are also promenades.