The port of Newhaven was always a tempting landing place for an invader and the defensive history of the area dates back to the Bronze age. A Roman fort was also situated at this location. In 1588 the Spanish Armada threatened the English coast by sailing through the Channel, strategically out of cannon-shot range. Construction of the fort started in 1864 and is the largest defence work to ever be constructed in Sussex. It stood fast through the two World Wars and was a real shame that it was abandoned suffering many years of neglect until a group of volunteers got together with the local council to bring it back to its former glory and is now an award winning tourist attraction. It was designed 22-year old Lieutenant John Charles Ardagh who used innovative concepts and design. He was the first to use concrete in a military structure and was blended in to the contours of the land and drawbridge. Reports of the supernatural are all over the fort, with many sightings seen in the caponier, a tunnel leading to the beach. Staff and visitors have have been in this area feeling a presence close by. The sounds of soldiers boots are said to be heard marching through the corridors and various rooms and even air-raid sirens have been heard. Tales of a ghostly drummer boy haunt the coastline and one mystery around the fort is that of Lord Lucan. From his disappearance in November 1974 his car was found abandoned at Newhaven. The police made a search of the fort and the tunnels, he has never been found dead or alive.