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Martello tower by Bawdsey Beach is a coastal defence fortification built during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. The tower forms part of the extensive chain of Martello towers constructed along the English coast between 1808 and 1812 to defend against the threat of French invasion. Like other towers of this type, it is a circular or near-circular brick structure designed to mount defensive cannon and accommodate a garrison, representing a standardised design that proved effective for coastal protection. The tower stands as a significant example of Napoleonic-era military architecture and remains an important record of early nineteenth-century defensive strategy on the Suffolk coast.
Martello tower by Bawdsey Beach is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006015. View the official record →
Martello tower by Bawdsey Beach is a coastal defence fortification built during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006015.
Martello tower by Bawdsey Beach 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 1006015.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Martello tower SE of Buckanay Farm (0.9 km), Martello tower at Rose Cottage (1.3 km), Martello tower at Shingle Street (1.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Martello tower by Bawdsey Beach'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 by Bawdsey Beach stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.