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193 facts about Martello towers, all checked

Every fact on this site in one place, each linked to its source. Our build checks each one against the source text; see the sources page. Things that can change carry the date we checked them, and where sources disagree you’ll find each one.

Jump to: Mortella and the name | The invasion scare and the plan | The south coast towers | The east coast towers | Inside a tower | The garrison and the gun | Dymchurch, tower 24 | Aldeburgh, tower CC | Later lives | Hackness, Orkney | Ireland and the James Joyce Tower | Canada | The national curriculum in England

Mortella and the name

  1. 1 Historic England describes Martello towers as small coastal artillery forts, built against the threat of invasion from France in the Napoleonic era (roughly 1799 to 1815). Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  2. 2 The name and the shape come from a small defensive tower at Punta Mortella, in the bay of San Fiorenzo in Corsica. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  3. 3 The British Army struggled to capture the Mortella tower in 1794, and when they left Corsica in 1796 they demolished most of it. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  4. 4 Letters written at the time misspelt Mortella as “Martello”, and the misspelling has stuck. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  5. 5 Royal Museums Greenwich says “mortella” is Italian for myrtle, and that “martello” meaning hammer is just a coincidence. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
  6. 6 Royal Museums Greenwich says the tower beat off two British ships by firing red-hot shot from the large gun on its roof. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
  7. 7 The red-hot shot started a fire in the Fortitude, which also had six men killed. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
  8. 8 Royal Museums Greenwich says the tower was taken on 10 February 1794, after bombardment from sea and land. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
  9. 9 The tower was held by a small French force under a determined army ensign called Thomas Le Tellier. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
  10. 10 Royal Museums Greenwich calls the two ships, Juno and Fortitude, “two British 74-gun ships”. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
  11. 11 English Heritage gives HMS Fortitude 74 guns and HMS Juno 32 guns, against a tower with just three guns. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  12. 12 Historic Environment Scotland says two small cannon on the tower beat off two British warships with a combined firepower of 106 guns. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  13. 13 The Wish Tower Friends date the ships’ attack to 8 February 1794. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  14. 14 The Wish Tower Friends say the tower’s two large 18-pounder guns fired back and set off an ammunition box on HMS Fortitude, killing six sailors and wounding 56. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  15. 15 The big 18-pounders could only fire out to sea; only the smaller six-pounder could fire towards land. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  16. 16 Lord Hood wrote that the walls of the tower “were of a prodigious thickness”. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  17. 17 In a letter of 5 August 1794 Hood spelt “Mortella Bay” as “Martello Bay” again and again. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  18. 18 The Corsican towers had first been built to protect coastal villages from North African pirates. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  19. 19 Historic Environment Scotland says Martello towers take their name from Mortella Point, Corsica. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  20. 20 The Wish Tower Friends think Lord Hood is probably responsible for the name “Martello”. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  21. 21 They give another possible explanation: a mix-up with Italian watchtowers called “Torri di Martello”, whose warning bells were struck with a hammer, or “martello”. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  22. 22 Historic England’s list entry for tower 24 says the design was based on a tower at Mortella in Sicily that held out against British forces in 1793. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  23. 23 The James Joyce Tower says the word “Martello” is a mishearing of “Mortella”. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  24. 24 After Mortella, the first towers of this kind were built on Minorca, in Ireland and in Guernsey. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  25. 25 English Heritage says gun towers were not a new idea, but Corsica in 1794 had just shown how well they could defend a coast. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower

The invasion scare and the plan

  1. 26 In 1803 Britain went to war with France again. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  2. 27 Napoleon gathered “the Army of the Ocean Coasts” around Boulogne, on the Channel coast. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  3. 28 French shipbuilders made barges to carry this army across the Channel. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  4. 29 In 1803 Britain’s army was about 30,000 short of the French 160,000. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  5. 30 The French aim was to capture London. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  6. 31 In July 1803 Captain William Ford, the Commanding Royal Engineer at Dover, proposed square towers along the south coast. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  7. 32 At a national defence conference at Rochester in October 1804, a scheme for towers was agreed in principle. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  8. 33 The plan settled on 74 Martello towers of elliptical shape and two larger round forts, called redoubts. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  9. 34 Major General William Twiss, the military engineer for the whole Southern District, was in general charge of the work. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  10. 35 The building work went to a London builder, William Hobson. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  11. 36 Hobson subcontracted some of the work to John “Yorky” Smith and Edward Hodges. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  12. 37 The towers were sited close together so that their fire crossed, protecting each other. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  13. 38 Historic England says 194 towers were built in Britain and its dependencies between 1796 and 1815. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  14. 39 They were built to strengthen batteries, protect coast where landings were likely, and guard estuaries and marshland sluices. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  15. 40 The Wish Tower Friends say the towers were arranged close together for mutual protection. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  16. 41 The immediate threat of invasion was over late in 1805, but a possible threat lasted until 1812 and work went on. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower

The south coast towers

  1. 42 English Heritage says 74 towers were built along the south coast in Kent and East Sussex, largely between 1805 and 1808. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  2. 43 The south coast towers were numbered 1 to 74, from east to west. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  3. 44 There were three main groups: between Folkestone and Dungeness, along Winchelsea Beach, and between Rye and Eastbourne, with one tower further west at Seaford. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  4. 45 Each south coast tower needed about 250,000 bricks. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  5. 46 Many bricks came by ship from brickmakers around London and south-east England; some were made from clay dug locally. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  6. 47 The Wish Tower Friends say estimates vary between 250,000 and more than 500,000 bricks per tower. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  7. 48 Kent had 27 towers, from Folkestone west to St Mary’s Bay; Sussex had 47 more, from no. 28 at Rye to no. 74 at Seaford. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  8. 49 So many landings were feared at Eastbourne that 17 towers were built from Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  9. 50 Eastbourne’s Wish Tower was the last but one numbered tower to be built. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  10. 51 Nobody knows exactly when the Wish Tower was built; the best estimate is between 1806 and 1808. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  11. 52 There were plans for more towers, as far west as Littlehampton, but they were never built. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
  12. 53 Although they look round, the south coast towers are elliptical, with thicker walls on the seaward side. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  13. 54 The walls are 10 metres (33 feet) high, tapering slightly from base to roof. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  14. 55 Historic England says the south coast towers are generally about 13.6 metres (45 feet) across. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  15. 56 The south coast towers were built of yellow-grey London brick or locally made red brick. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  16. 57 They were built with a strong hot lime mortar that set “as hard as iron”, and then rendered. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  17. 58 Each south coast tower had one 24-pounder long-range cannon on a turning oak carriage, so it could fire in any direction. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  18. 59 In the south coast towers, a single staircase leads from the first floor to the seaward side of the roof. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  19. 60 The south coast towers had two small side windows; the east coast towers had four. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers

The east coast towers

  1. 61 Between 1809 and 1812, 29 more towers were built along about 60 miles of coast from Point Clear, near St Osyth in Essex, to Aldeburgh in Suffolk (English Heritage). English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  2. 62 Historic England’s blog dates the 29 east coast towers to 1808 to 1812. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  3. 63 The east coast towers have letters, not numbers: A at St Osyth to CC at Slaughden, just south of Aldeburgh, starting again at AA after Z. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  4. 64 The east coast towers are bigger, about 16.7 metres (55 feet) across, giving more room on each floor. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  5. 65 English Heritage says the east coast towers were cam-shaped, like a rounded triangle. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  6. 66 English Heritage says the east coast towers carried three guns: a 24-pounder for ships and two carronades or two 5.5-inch howitzers for troops at closer range. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  7. 67 Their gun platforms were quatrefoil, or four-leafed: a 24-pounder in the seaward space and smaller carronades at the sides. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  8. 68 The east coast towers were built of red brick made at Grays in Essex. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  9. 69 Historic England estimates that over 700,000 bricks went into each east coast tower. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  10. 70 The east coast towers are thought better built: builders had more experience by then, and less hurry. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  11. 71 The parapets, windows and doors of the east coast towers are dressed with stone. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  12. 72 The east coast towers have two staircases, to the landward side of the roof. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  13. 73 Tower W at Bawdsey in Suffolk shows the quatrefoil gun platform clearly from the air. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower

Inside a tower

  1. 74 Each tower had three levels: a ground floor, a first floor and the roof. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  2. 75 The only door was on the first floor, reached by a ladder that could be pulled up, or by a drawbridge where there was a moat. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  3. 76 English Heritage says the ladder could be pulled up to stop the enemy forcing their way in. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  4. 77 A thick brick pillar in the middle held up a brick-vaulted ceiling and a rack for 27 muskets. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  5. 78 The first floor was split into three around the central pillar: one room for the officer, one for 15 to 24 men, and the rest for stores. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  6. 79 The ground floor, reached by a trapdoor and ladder, stored gunpowder, ammunition, food, fuel and water. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  7. 80 The water was fed from the roof and drawn up with a pump on the first floor. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  8. 81 Recesses inside the parapet stored cannonballs, all carried up the stairs by hand from the magazine. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  9. 82 The two light chimneys could be knocked down quickly in an attack, so they would not block the guns. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  10. 83 About one in five towers had a dry moat, usually 5 metres deep and 10 metres wide. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  11. 84 The dry moat was meant to trap enemy soldiers, who could be shot at by musket from the roof. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  12. 85 Some towers also had a cunette, a water-filled trench at the foot of the tower, or a sloping bank called a glacis. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  13. 86 The walls are thickest on the seaward side, to turn aside cannon shot. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  14. 87 At Dymchurch the brick is covered in render, grooved to look like blocks of Portland stone. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  15. 88 Tower 24’s walls are 1.5 metres to 4 metres thick, thickest at the base on the seaward side. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  16. 89 Above the windows are vents to draw off smoke from musket fire. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  17. 90 Cisterns in the basement floor were fed with rainwater by pipes from the roof. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  18. 91 The magazine was lit by a light box behind a pane of glass, kept apart from the gunpowder. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  19. 92 The magazine wall at Dymchurch has an alcove for a candle lantern. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  20. 93 Turning the gun took between ten and fourteen men, using rope pulleys. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  21. 94 Tower 24’s gun barrel was made by Samuel Walker and Company of Rotherham. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  22. 95 The roof is surrounded by a sloping parapet about 1.8 metres high, with four arched recesses for ammunition. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  23. 96 An 1804 design drawing, possibly by Ford, shows a hollow central pier; the towers were built with a solid one. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  24. 97 Three large round ten-gun forts called redoubts were also built; two survive, at Eastbourne and Dymchurch. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  25. 98 Small differences between towers came from local subcontractors building them. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)

The garrison and the gun

  1. 99 Each tower was meant for a garrison of 25: one officer and 24 other ranks. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  2. 100 Most towers were probably manned by militia, who were raised by ballot, trained in peacetime and called up in wartime, or by volunteers. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  3. 101 The Fife Militia, from Scotland, were at Dymchurch in 1806 to 1807. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  4. 102 The cramped rooms were probably only fully used in emergencies; normally smaller groups probably took turns on watch, and those off duty may have stayed in local inns. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  5. 103 The 24-pounder fired solid iron balls 14 cm (5½ inches) across and weighing 11 kg (24 lb) at ships over a mile away. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  6. 104 Against landing troops it could fire case shot: a tin that burst on firing into up to 84 small balls. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  7. 105 The gun sat on a wooden platform that could turn through 360 degrees. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  8. 106 The platform sloped up at the back, which slowed the gun as it recoiled so it could be reloaded. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  9. 107 The gun now at Dymchurch is a real 24-pounder cast between 1792 and 1815, but not the one mounted there in the Napoleonic War. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  10. 108 The men carried smoothbore flintlock muskets. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  11. 109 Historic England says tower 24 housed a garrison of 24 men and one officer. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  12. 110 Historic England says tower 24’s gun had a range of one mile. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)

Dymchurch, tower 24

  1. 111 Dymchurch Martello Tower is tower no. 24. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  2. 112 Tower 24 guarded the Marshland Sluice, one of the main outfalls that control the water level in Romney Marsh. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  3. 113 Tower 25 stands only 260 metres (285 yards) away, on the other side of the outfall. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  4. 114 If the enemy took the sluice, the defenders could not flood Romney Marsh to stop the French army crossing it. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  5. 115 Tower 24 is one of six towers at or near Dymchurch, of which three survive. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  6. 116 It is one of only 26 of the original 74 south coast towers still standing, and the only one shown as it first looked. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  7. 117 Tower 24 and its twin were built in 1805 to 1806, in a chain of 21 towers guarding Romney Marsh between Hythe and Rye. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  8. 118 Tower 24 stands about 12 metres behind Dymchurch Wall, the bank about 4.8 km long that keeps the sea off the marsh. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  9. 119 From 1819, or earlier, until 1832, tower 24 was a station for the Coast Blockade, a naval force set up in 1816 to fight smuggling. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  10. 120 The Aldington Gang of smugglers worked from around Romney Marsh until its members were brought to justice in 1826. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  11. 121 In 1832 the Coastguard took over, and tower 24 became a Coastguard station. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  12. 122 On 13 June 1944, Royal Observer Corps observers on top of the tower reported the first V1 flying bomb to enter the UK. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  13. 123 After restoration by the Ministry of Works, tower 24 opened as a museum in 1969. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  14. 124 It is cared for by English Heritage and managed by the Friends of Martello24. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  15. 125 Towers 1 to 27 had all been disarmed by 1817. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  16. 126 The tower is about a five-minute walk from Dymchurch station on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. English Heritage: Dymchurch Martello Tower
  17. 127 Inside, the stairs to the roof and to the ground floor are very steep. English Heritage: Dymchurch Martello Tower

Aldeburgh, tower CC

  1. 128 Tower CC at Slaughden is the only quatrefoil (four-leafed) tower in plan. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  2. 129 Historic England says the Aldeburgh tower is the most northerly and the largest built during the Napoleonic War. Historic England: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh (list entry 1269724)
  3. 130 Historic England dates the Aldeburgh tower to 1808 to 1810. Historic England: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh (list entry 1269724)
  4. 131 The Landmark Trust says it was built between 1808 and 1812. The Landmark Trust: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh
  5. 132 The Landmark Trust says nearly a million bricks were used to build it. The Landmark Trust: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh
  6. 133 It was designed for four guns, but in 1815 only two 24-pounders were noted there. The Landmark Trust: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh
  7. 134 Why it is quatrefoil was not recorded; one idea is that it was an unbuilt 1804 design for Dymchurch Wall. The Landmark Trust: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh
  8. 135 It was sold in 1932 and turned into a house, taken over in 1940 as a military watch tower, and restored in 1973. Historic England: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh (list entry 1269724)
  9. 136 In 1971 the Landmark Trust took it on, repaired it and turned it into holiday accommodation. The Landmark Trust: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh
  10. 137 The sea has worn away the eastern part of its moat. Historic England: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh (list entry 1269724)
  11. 138 It stands at the root of the Orford Ness peninsula, between the River Alde and the sea. The Landmark Trust: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh

Later lives

  1. 139 The towers were never tested in battle. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  2. 140 English Heritage says no invasion came, and the towers never saw any fighting. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
  3. 141 After the threat passed, some towers were pulled down for their materials, and some became coastguard stations watching for smugglers. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  4. 142 Some were used again in the 20th century, as wireless stations and observation posts in the World Wars and the Cold War. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  5. 143 Many have been lost to erosion, and many survivors are now private homes. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  6. 144 Historic England says the design was soon made out of date by new, heavier guns. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  7. 145 Historic England’s blog says around 45 of the 103 towers built in England survive. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  8. 146 Historic England’s list entry says some 46 of 105 single-gun towers survive: 29 on the south coast and 17 on the east coast. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
  9. 147 Tower 74 at Seaford is a museum run by the Seaford Museum and Heritage Society. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  10. 148 At Tower D at Jaywick in Essex there is an exhibition, a replica cannon and views from the roof. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
  11. 149 Historic Environment Scotland says the Mortella fight so impressed the British that they built more than 100 towers. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories

Hackness, Orkney

  1. 150 Hackness Battery and Martello Tower in Orkney were built in 1813 to 1814, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  2. 151 French and American warships were attacking British and Scandinavian merchant ships going “north about”, round Orkney. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  3. 152 Hackness has a sister tower, Crockness, on the north side of Longhope Sound. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  4. 153 Apart from a tower guarding the port of Leith, Hackness and Crockness were the only Martello towers built in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  5. 154 Hackness had a barracks for 14 men and a cubicle for the NCO on the first floor. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  6. 155 Its first gun was a 24-pounder, replaced in 1866 by a 68-pounder. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  7. 156 The 1866 upgrade was a response to a feared threat from the American Fenian Brotherhood. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  8. 157 The only record of the guns ever being fired is in 1892, at a day of gun drill and target practice. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  9. 158 By 1883 just two artillerymen were on duty. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  10. 159 The gun on display now is an Armstrong 64-pounder of a similar age. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
  11. 160 Historic Environment Scotland says the mighty military remains at Hackness never saw action. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower
  12. 161 Historic Environment Scotland says more than 100 similar towers were built along England’s south coast when Napoleon threatened to invade in 1803. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories

Ireland and the James Joyce Tower

  1. 162 The order to build Martello Tower No. 11 at Sandycove was made in June 1804. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  2. 163 Around 50 towers were built along the Irish coast. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  3. 164 Dublin alone had 28 towers, 16 south of the city and 12 north, a chain of lookouts from Bray to Balbriggan. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  4. 165 The Dublin towers were built within sight of each other, to pass on warnings quickly. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  5. 166 The Sandycove tower is the setting for the opening of James Joyce’s Ulysses, and now a museum to Joyce. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  6. 167 In 1904 the tower was let to Oliver St John Gogarty, whose most famous guest was James Joyce. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  7. 168 On 16 June 1962 the tower was opened as a museum by Sylvia Beach, who published Ulysses. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  8. 169 The architect Michael Scott bought the tower in 1954 to make it a Joyce museum. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
  9. 170 Dublin UNESCO City of Literature says Joyce stayed only briefly in the tower. Dublin UNESCO City of Literature: Sandycove Martello Tower
  10. 171 Entry to the James Joyce Tower is free. James Joyce Tower: Visit · checked 3 Nov 2026

Canada

  1. 172 Parks Canada calls the Prince of Wales Tower, part of the Halifax Defence Complex in Nova Scotia, the first and oldest Martello tower in North America. Parks Canada: Activities and experiences, Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site
  2. 173 Parks Canada dates its building to 1796 to 1799, on the orders of Edward, Duke of Kent. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Prince of Wales Tower
  3. 174 It is a squat, round stone tower, almost three times as wide as it is high. Parks Canada: History, Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site
  4. 175 Its walls are 8 feet thick. Parks Canada: Activities and experiences, Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site
  5. 176 It was built for six guns on the roof and four on the second storey. Parks Canada: History, Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site
  6. 177 It was changed in the early 1800s to look more like the Martello towers that had become standard in British coastal defence. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Prince of Wales Tower
  7. 178 In 1864 it became a defended gunpowder store, which is why it survived. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Prince of Wales Tower
  8. 179 Carleton Martello Tower in Saint John, New Brunswick, was begun by the British Army in the War of 1812 and finished in 1815. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Carleton Martello Tower
  9. 180 Because of the Fenian threat, Carleton was armed for the first time, with two 32-pounder guns on its flat roof. Parks Canada: The 1840s to Confederation, Carleton Martello Tower
  10. 181 By the 1860s, rifled guns had badly weakened what Martello towers could stand up to. Parks Canada: The 1840s to Confederation, Carleton Martello Tower
  11. 182 In the First World War, Carleton held deserters from the 69th Canadian Infantry Battalion. Parks Canada: The 20th Century, Carleton Martello Tower
  12. 183 In the Second World War a two-storey concrete command post was built on its top, used from 1941 to 1944. Parks Canada: The 20th Century, Carleton Martello Tower
  13. 184 Parks Canada found in 2015 that the heavy wartime command post and the coastal weather had badly damaged the tower; it is being restored. Parks Canada: Restoration project, Carleton Martello Tower
  14. 185 The Kingston Fortifications in Ontario include Fort Henry, Fort Frederick, Murney Tower, Shoal Tower and Cathcart Martello Tower, built between 1832 and 1848. Parks Canada: Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site
  15. 186 Murney Tower is a squat stone tower on the west shore of Kingston Harbour, with its ditch and glacis. Parks Canada: Murney Tower National Historic Site
  16. 187 The Rideau Canal, 202 km from Ottawa to Kingston Harbour, joined the World Heritage List in 2007 with an ensemble of fortifications. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Rideau Canal

The national curriculum in England

  1. 188 At KS2 the national curriculum includes a local history study, which can be a site from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
  2. 189 KS2 also includes a study of an aspect or theme in British history that goes beyond 1066. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
  3. 190 At KS3 pupils study ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745 to 1901. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
  4. 191 The KS3 examples include the French Revolutionary wars. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
  5. 192 Pupils should discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
  6. 193 The curriculum names concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)