Fort Burgoyne was designed (as one of the famous ‘Palmerston Forts’) to protect the North Spur area of Dover Castle which was perceived as a weak spot in the defences and the most likely approach for an invading army. Work started on the construction of the fort in 1861, and it was completed by 1868 for a total cost of £88,000.

The polygonal fort is surrounded by a 35-foot wide dry ditch with a double caponier giving flanking fire along the ditch from the northern point. In the centre of the fort is the parade ground surrounded on three sides by bomb-proof barracks. Originally armed with 29 guns on the ramparts (6 of them in Haxo casemates), by the early 1900s these guns had disappeared to be replaced by 3 machine guns. The two World Wars saw further changes, with concrete and brick structures being added.