Although the first fort appeared on the site of the Drop Redoubt in the 1780’s, the earliest remains on the site are of the first century AD Roman lighthouse, the twin of the Pharos at Dover Castle. The early fort was part of a complex of simple earthworks with a central guardroom. It wasn’t until the 1804 that the Redoubt as we know it came into being. The works continued through to 1808, and again between 1859 and 1866 as part of the Royal Commission on the Defences of the United Kingdom.
Changes were made to the artillery from 7 inch RBLs in 1869, to 64 pounder RMLs in 1892 and by 1902 only two machine guns were in place.
The Redoubt saw use by the Anti-Aircraft Corps in WW2, a team of Commandos and the Observer Corps in WW2, and finally abandoned by the military in the 1950s. Although now owned by English Heritage, it has been looked after and opened by the Western Heights Preservation Society since 2003.