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Martello tower at Felixstowe Ferry is a circular defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, likely dating to the early nineteenth century as part of the systematic coastal defence programme against French invasion threats. The tower follows the characteristic Martello design, featuring a circular or near-circular plan with thick brick or stone walls, a platform for artillery mounted on its roof, and accommodation for a small garrison within its interior. Built on the Suffolk coast at a strategically significant point on the River Deben estuary, it represents the practical application of military engineering doctrine that had proven effective in earlier examples, notably at Corsica. The tower stands as physical evidence of early nineteenth-century defence strategy and the vulnerability felt by Britain during the Napoleonic period, when such structures formed part of a defensive network stretching along the English coast.
Martello tower at Felixstowe ferry is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002968. View the official record →
Martello tower at Felixstowe Ferry is a circular defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, likely dating to the early nineteenth century as part of the systematic coastal defence programme against French invasion threats. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002968.
Martello tower at Felixstowe ferry 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 1002968.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Martello tower on golf course adjoining Woodbridge Haven (0.7 km), Walton Old Hall, site of (2.9 km), Walton Priory (site of) (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Martello tower at Felixstowe ferry's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Martello tower at Felixstowe ferry stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.