Things people “know” about Martello towers

Myth Martello towers are named after a hammer.

Fact 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 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

Myth Martello towers are perfectly round.

Fact 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 English Heritage says the east coast towers were cam-shaped, like a rounded triangle. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower

Myth Martello towers fought off Napoleon’s invasion.

Fact English Heritage says no invasion came, and the towers never saw any fighting. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower The towers were never tested in battle. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers

Myth You walked into a Martello tower at ground level.

Fact 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

Myth The tower at Mortella was a big fort bristling with guns.

Fact 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 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

Myth Martello towers were only built in England.

Fact 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

Myth Every Martello tower had a moat.

Fact 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

Myth Martello towers in England were built of stone.

Fact 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 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

Myth All the Martello towers have gone.

Fact 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

Myth Martello towers were only used in the Napoleonic Wars.

Fact 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 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