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Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone is a coastal defence fortification erected during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century as part of the extensive network of Martello towers built along the Kent and Sussex coasts to guard against potential French invasion. The tower is a characteristic example of the type, comprising a circular masonry structure designed to accommodate a garrison and artillery piece, with thick walls intended to withstand cannon fire from attacking vessels. Built between 1808 and 1812 during the period of heightened military preparedness following the Battle of Trafalgar, the tower remains substantially intact and represents an important surviving example of Regency-era coastal military architecture. The tower's strategic positioning on the cliffs at Folkestone reflects the careful planning of the defence scheme, which sought to provide overlapping fields of fire along the vulnerable Kent coast.
Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1019148. View the official record →
Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone is a coastal defence fortification erected during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century as part of the extensive network of Martello towers built along the Kent and Sussex coasts to guard against potential French invasion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1019148.
Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone 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 1019148.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sandgate Castle (0.5 km), Martello tower no 7, Sandgate, Folkestone (1.3 km), Royal Military Canal, Shorncliffe Battery wall (2.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone'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 no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.