 During the First World War the military police used the redoubt as a headquarters and temporary gaol.Following this, Eastbourne Borough Council purchased the redoubt for £150 with the plan to turn it into a venue for leisure activities.The only part of the plan to be implemented was in 1934; the construction of a new bandstand in the gardens just to the west of the redoubt and an associated colonnade to shelter the audience, which was built over part of the moat.