A historic fort has been defaced after it was pummelled by "40 golf balls" in a small Suffolk town.
Landguard Fort has protected Britain through World War One, World War Two, as well as the Cold War.
Yet, despite its war-time strength, the fort has fallen victim to “some mindless” golf ball-wielding.
Felixstowe mayor David Rowe said: "It is horrendous. That [the fort] is an ancient building that has stood the test of time and it is well valued by the people of Felixstowe.
“For somebody to damage it mindlessly, I think most people in Felixstowe would be horrified by it. I hope the police find them so that justice can be done.”
Although the fort could be “sympathetically repaired”, it remains an English Heritage building so it would be “very difficult and expensive to repair it”.
"We have people at Landguard Fort who look after that building very well. They spend hours on it and then to have their work destroyed by some mindless thug is very disappointing," Rowe said.
Local police have appealed for witnesses to the incident which occurred along Port View Road which occurred between March 10 at 5pm and March 11 at 9am.
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General manager of Landguard Fort and Museum Elian Shipp said that an individual had fired around 40 golf balls from around 30 metres away atop a grass mound beyond the staff car park.
He confirmed that the brickwork had been chipped away by the impact, as five of the balls managed to travel further to land in the inner parade of the fort itself.
Back in 1956, the fort was disarmed and now opens each year as a tourist attraction.
Officials have confirmed that the damage would not impact the fort’s summer opening on March 29, while the museum is set to open one week after.
The damage classifies as an offence according to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
Shipp added: "It is quite surprising. It is not something you expect when you come into work to find golf balls lying everywhere and damage to the wall."
The fort is known in particular for its historic response in 1667, when it fought off Britain's last attempted seaborne invasion by the Dutch as soldiers fought off the invaders until late in the evening when the intruders retreated.
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Landguard Fort has protected Britain through World War One, World War Two, as well as the Cold War.
Yet, despite its war-time strength, the fort has fallen victim to “some mindless” golf ball-wielding.
Felixstowe mayor David Rowe said: "It is horrendous. That [the fort] is an ancient building that has stood the test of time and it is well valued by the people of Felixstowe.
“For somebody to damage it mindlessly, I think most people in Felixstowe would be horrified by it. I hope the police find them so that justice can be done.”
Although the fort could be “sympathetically repaired”, it remains an English Heritage building so it would be “very difficult and expensive to repair it”.
"We have people at Landguard Fort who look after that building very well. They spend hours on it and then to have their work destroyed by some mindless thug is very disappointing," Rowe said.
Local police have appealed for witnesses to the incident which occurred along Port View Road which occurred between March 10 at 5pm and March 11 at 9am.
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General manager of Landguard Fort and Museum Elian Shipp said that an individual had fired around 40 golf balls from around 30 metres away atop a grass mound beyond the staff car park.
He confirmed that the brickwork had been chipped away by the impact, as five of the balls managed to travel further to land in the inner parade of the fort itself.
Back in 1956, the fort was disarmed and now opens each year as a tourist attraction.
Officials have confirmed that the damage would not impact the fort’s summer opening on March 29, while the museum is set to open one week after.
The damage classifies as an offence according to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
Shipp added: "It is quite surprising. It is not something you expect when you come into work to find golf balls lying everywhere and damage to the wall."
The fort is known in particular for its historic response in 1667, when it fought off Britain's last attempted seaborne invasion by the Dutch as soldiers fought off the invaders until late in the evening when the intruders retreated.
Find Out More...