Questions people actually ask
Short answers, each with its source. Longer ones live on the topic pages.
What is a Martello tower?
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
Why are they called Martello towers?
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 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
How many were built?
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
How many survive?
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 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
When were they built?
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 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
How did the soldiers get in?
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 English Heritage says the ladder could be pulled up to stop the enemy forcing their way in. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
How many soldiers lived in one?
Each tower was meant for a garrison of 25: one officer and 24 other ranks. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
What gun did a tower have?
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 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
Did the towers ever fight?
English Heritage says no invasion came, and the towers never saw any fighting. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
Are there Martello towers outside England?
Around 50 towers were built along the Irish coast. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower 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 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
What has James Joyce got to do with them?
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 Dublin UNESCO City of Literature says Joyce stayed only briefly in the tower. Dublin UNESCO City of Literature: Sandycove Martello Tower
Can I go inside one?
After restoration by the Ministry of Works, tower 24 opened as a museum in 1969. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower 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 On 16 June 1962 the tower was opened as a museum by Sylvia Beach, who published Ulysses. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
Where does this fit in the national curriculum?
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) 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) The KS3 examples include the French Revolutionary wars. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
Our sources give dates and totals in different ways, and some disagree by a year or count different groups of towers. We copy each figure as its source gives it, rather than converting, so every figure matches its link. Things that can change, like whether entry is free, show the date we checked them. See when sources disagree for the open questions side by side.