Scheduled Monuments›England›Polruan Blockhouse

Polruan Blockhouse

England
List entry 1019056
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1019056
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.02 hectares
Grid reference
SX 12336 51085
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Polruan Blockhouse is a Tudor coastal artillery fortress built during the early sixteenth century on the eastern bank of the River Fowey in Cornwall. Constructed as part of Henry VIII's programme of coastal defence against French and Spanish threats, the blockhouse formed part of a defensive system with Fowey Castle across the river to guard the strategically important harbour. The structure comprises a compact stone-built fortification designed to mount cannon and small arms, reflecting the military engineering standards of the early Tudor period. Its remains survive as a scheduled ancient monument and represent an important example of early modern military architecture in southwest England.

Polruan Blockhouse is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1019056. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Polruan Blockhouse?

Polruan Blockhouse is a Tudor coastal artillery fortress built during the early sixteenth century on the eastern bank of the River Fowey in Cornwall. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1019056.

Who is responsible for protecting Polruan Blockhouse?

Polruan Blockhouse 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 1019056.

What other scheduled monuments are near Polruan Blockhouse?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Fowey Blockhouse (0.3 km), St Saviour's Chapel, Polruan (0.3 km), St Catherine's Castle 16th century blockhouse, 19th century gun battery and 20th century gun emplacement at St Catherine's Point (0.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Polruan Blockhouse

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Polruan Blockhouse'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

Fowey Blockhouse
0.3 km
St Saviour's Chapel, Polruan
0.3 km
St Catherine's Castle 16th century blockhouse, 19th century gun battery and 20th century gun emplacement at St Catherine's Point
0.5 km
Medieval wayside cross on Fore Street, Polruan
0.6 km
Chapel at Hall
1.4 km
The Tristan Stone, early Christian memorial stone and wayside cross, 75m north of Polscoe
1.5 km
Medieval churchyard cross in Lanteglos by Fowey churchyard, 2m south of the church
2.2 km
Medieval wayside cross in Lanteglos by Fowey churchyard, 20m south east of the church
2.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Polruan Blockhouse

Polruan Blockhouse stands on Early Devonian sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Polruan Blockhouse

Battle of Lostwithiel 31 August - 1 September 1644Battle (1644) · ~3.2 milesBattle of Lostwithiel 21 August 1644Battle (1644) · ~6 milesBattle of Braddock Down (1643)Battle (1643) · ~8.1 miles
Domesday entry for Trenant?, Cornwall →
All Scheduled Monuments