Scheduled Monuments›England›Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower

Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower

England
List entry 1014780
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1014780
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.03 hectares
Grid reference
TG 23961 09191
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

The Cow Tower is a circular stone artillery tower located in Norwich, Norfolk, dating to the late fourteenth century. Built circa 1378-1385, it represents one of the earliest purpose-built artillery fortifications in England, constructed to defend the river crossing and city against raids during the Hundred Years War. The tower is constructed of flint and stone with a substantial circular plan, designed to mount small cannon on its gun platforms. This early defensive structure marks an important transition in English military architecture, demonstrating the adoption of gunpowder weaponry in civic fortification during the medieval period.

Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014780. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower?

The Cow Tower is a circular stone artillery tower located in Norwich, Norfolk, dating to the late fourteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014780.

Who is responsible for protecting Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower?

Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1014780.

What other scheduled monuments are near Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including 'Woodhenge', Arminghall (3.2 km), Late Neolithic or Bronze Age Henge type monument and D shaped enclosure 300m west of Twins Farm (3.9 km), Moated site at the Manor House, Arminghall (4.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

'Woodhenge', Arminghall
3.2 km
Late Neolithic or Bronze Age Henge type monument and D shaped enclosure 300m west of Twins Farm
3.9 km
Moated site at the Manor House, Arminghall
4.5 km
Barrow cemetery 450m N of Markshall Farm
4.5 km
Remains of medieval settlement 380m south of Park Farm
4.6 km
Remains of medieval settlement 400m east of Church Farm, Arminghall
4.8 km
Multi phased site dating from the Neolithic to the Anglo-Saxon period east of Harford Farm
5.1 km
Remains of Bixley Hall and associated garden water features
5.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower

Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower

Caistor St EdmundsRoman town · ~3.6 miles
Domesday entry for Norwich, Norfolk →
All Scheduled Monuments