Fort William (original) (raw)

Fort William is the largest town in the western Scottish Highlands, very close to Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. It is also at the southern end of the Great Glen, Glen Albyn. Despite the name, there is no military presence now - the fort being referred to was constructed to control the population following Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the English Civil War, then helped suppress the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th century. Just outside the town is a large aluminium plant, powered by the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme, in its day the biggest tunnelling project in the world.

Fort William was also a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, which was merged with the nearby city of Port Arthur to form the new city of Thunder Bay.