Scheduled Monuments›England›Martello tower (L)

Martello tower (L)

England
List entry 1005993
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005993
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.57 hectares
Grid reference
TM2482133635
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Martello tower (L) is a circular defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built in the early nineteenth century as part of the extensive chain of Martello towers erected along the English coast. Located in Suffolk, the tower exemplifies the standardised design of these structures, which were modelled on a fortified tower at Mortella in Corsica and adapted for British coastal defence. The tower would have been garrisoned with a small military force and equipped with cannon mounted on its roof to resist potential French invasion. Like other examples in this class, it represents a significant investment in national defence during a period of acute strategic vulnerability, and its survival demonstrates the enduring military architecture of the Napoleonic era.

Martello tower (L) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005993. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Martello tower (L)?

Martello tower (L) is a circular defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built in the early nineteenth century as part of the extensive chain of Martello towers erected along the English coast. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005993.

Who is responsible for protecting Martello tower (L)?

Martello tower (L) 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 1005993.

What other scheduled monuments are near Martello tower (L)?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Shotley Battery and subterranean air raid shelters (0.4 km), A Napoleonic coastal battery at Bath Side, 400m north west of Tower Hill (1.6 km), Harwich High Lighthouse (1.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Martello tower (L)

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Martello tower (L)'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

Shotley Battery and subterranean air raid shelters
0.4 km
A Napoleonic coastal battery at Bath Side, 400m north west of Tower Hill
1.6 km
Harwich High Lighthouse
1.8 km
The Harwich Treadwheel Crane
1.8 km
Harwich Low Lighthouse
2 km
The Harwich Redoubt
2 km
Beacon Hill Fort: a late 19th and 20th century coastal artillery fortification
2.3 km
The Dovercourt lighthouses and causeway
2.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Martello tower (L)

Martello tower (L) stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The wider landscape

Around Martello tower (L)

Sutton HooArchaeological site · ~9.8 milesColchesterRoman town · ~16.4 miles
Domesday entry for Kalweton, Suffolk →
All Scheduled Monuments