A HISTORIC fort hidden behind houses in Harwich welcomed visitors across the moat for its annual open day.

The Redoubt Fort, tucked away behind a row of homes in Main Road, offered stalls and refreshments alongside a host of historical artifacts.

Wet weather didn't dampen spirits as residents and tourists still descended the winding staircase of the 170ft Napoleonic fort.

Among the attractions were ice creams, face painting, a bottle stall, teddy bear stall and cakes.

Owned by the Harwich Society, all the proceeds from the event go towards maintaining the historic tourist attraction, which was built between 1808 and 1810 to defend the town against a feared invasion.

Now it holds historic artifacts including guns, army uniforms and even part of an unexploded German V2 rocket from the Second World War that was pulled from the mud off the coast of the town in 2012.