Scheduled MonumentsEnglandSlaughden Martello tower

Slaughden Martello tower

England
List entry 1006041
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006041
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.67 hectares
Grid reference
TM 46292 54907
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Slaughden Martello tower is a coastal defence fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. The tower forms part of the extensive chain of Martello towers built along the English coast between 1808 and 1812 to counter the threat of French invasion. Located near Aldeburgh in Suffolk, the circular brick-built structure exemplifies the standardised defensive design of these fortifications, featuring thick walls and a flat roof intended to mount artillery. The tower has suffered considerable erosion from coastal processes and now stands significantly damaged, its structural integrity compromised by the encroaching North Sea.

Slaughden Martello tower is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006041. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Slaughden Martello tower?

Slaughden Martello tower is a coastal defence fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006041.

Who is responsible for protecting Slaughden Martello tower?

Slaughden Martello tower 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 1006041.

What other scheduled monuments are near Slaughden Martello tower?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two bowl barrows in Square Plantation (5.6 km), Bowl barrow on Iken Heath, 620m north of Fazeboons (5.8 km), Two bowl barrows on Aldringham Green (6.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Slaughden Martello tower

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Slaughden Martello tower'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Slaughden Martello tower

Slaughden Martello tower stands on Eocene claystone, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is claystone.

The wider landscape

Around Slaughden Martello tower

Sutton HooArchaeological site · ~11.5 miles