Martello Towers

Martello Towers were built to be bomb proof against the solid shot used during the wars with France from 1792 onwards.  With the introduction of rifled artillery and more advanced shell ammunition by the 1860s, the Martello Tower became more vulnerable to artillery fire of all sorts and hence fell out of use.  They continued to be used as accommodation for many years.

The Martello usually had thirty to forty foot hight walls which were up to  thirteen feet thick on the side facing towards the sea. They were often built using bricks, faced with stucco to repel moisture.  For example, Martello Tower P in Felixstowe is estimated to have been built with over 750,000 bricks.  In some parts local material was used, for example in Mauritius.  The single gun, initially a 24-pdr and later a 32-pdr smooth, was located on the flat roof.  It had a central pivot and wooden traversing carriage that allowed  the gun an arc of fire of 360 degrees.  Carronades, howitzers and mortars were also sometimes used either in the Martello Tower or adjacent battery.  Later Martello Towers had up to three heavy guns mounted on the four lobes (quatrefoil) shaped roof.

The tower could be of two or three storeys.  If three story’s then the top floor was barrack accommodation, with stores in the floor below.  If only two storey the storage and accommodation was combined on one floor. In every case the basement, which was usually below ground, was a magazine for storing gunpowder.  There was often a well or water tank kept in this basement area.

Access to the tower was by ladder with a doorway some ten to twenty feet above the ground. This entranceway was often covered by a machicolation from which nasty objects could be dropped on anyone attempting to break in the door.  The artillery piece, typically a 24-pdr SB gun, was mounted on a traversing carriage on the roof.