Scheduled Monuments›England›Sandgate Castle

Sandgate Castle

England
List entry 1005171
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005171
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.26 hectares
Grid reference
TR 20682 35176
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Sandgate Castle is a coastal artillery fortress constructed by Henry VIII between 1539 and 1540 as part of his programme of national defence against foreign invasion. Built on the Kent coast near Folkestone, the castle features the characteristic low, angular bastioned design typical of mid-Tudor fortifications, with a central round tower surrounded by angled bastions to provide effective fields of fire for artillery. The fortress was garrisoned and maintained throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but gradually declined in military importance as coastal defence strategies evolved. Today the substantial ruins remain a significant example of early modern military architecture and demonstrate the technological shift towards gun-based coastal fortification.

Sandgate Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005171. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Sandgate Castle?

Sandgate Castle is a coastal artillery fortress constructed by Henry VIII between 1539 and 1540 as part of his programme of national defence against foreign invasion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005171.

Who is responsible for protecting Sandgate Castle?

Sandgate Castle 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 1005171.

What other scheduled monuments are near Sandgate Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone (0.5 km), Martello tower no 7, Sandgate, Folkestone (0.8 km), Royal Military Canal, Shorncliffe Battery wall (1.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Sandgate Castle

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

Martello tower no 4, Cliff Road, Folkestone
0.5 km
Martello tower no 7, Sandgate, Folkestone
0.8 km
Royal Military Canal, Shorncliffe Battery wall
1.6 km
Martello tower no 9, Sandgate, Folkestone
1.7 km
Royal Military Canal, Seabrook Lodge Bridge to Seabrook Sluice
2.3 km
Royal Military Canal, Twiss Road Bridge to Seabrook Lodge Bridge
3.5 km
Royal Military Canal, Town Bridge to Twiss Road Bridge
4.5 km
Royal Military Canal, Scanlon's Bridge to Town Bridge
5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Sandgate Castle

Sandgate Castle stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around Sandgate Castle

CanterburyRoman town · ~14.5 miles
Domesday entry for Suestone, Kent →
All Scheduled Monuments