© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)
The Royal Citadel is a bastioned artillery fort situated on the Hoe in Plymouth, Devon, constructed from the mid seventeenth century onwards as a major defensive stronghold. Built in response to the threat posed by Dutch naval power during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the fortress was designed with the characteristic star-shaped bastion system typical of contemporary European military architecture, allowing comprehensive coverage of the surrounding landscape and waters. The citadel incorporates elements of an earlier late sixteenth century artillery fort on the site, demonstrating the evolution of Plymouth's defensive infrastructure across two centuries. The monument includes an eighteenth century statue commemorating a notable historical figure, and the fortress remains substantially intact as one of the finest surviving examples of seventeenth century military engineering in England.
The Royal Citadel mid 17th century bastioned artillery defence, incorporating late 16th century artillery fort and 18th century statue, on the Hoe is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1012943. View the official record →
The Royal Citadel is a bastioned artillery fort situated on the Hoe in Plymouth, Devon, constructed from the mid seventeenth century onwards as a major defensive stronghold. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1012943.
The Royal Citadel mid 17th century bastioned artillery defence, incorporating late 16th century artillery fort and 18th century statue, on the Hoe 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 1012943.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Staddon Heights Defences including Fort Staddon Fort, Brownhill Battery, Watch House Battery, Staddon Heights Battery, Staddon Battery and associated features and structures (3.1 km), Fort Bovisand (3.3 km), Breakwater fort (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of The Royal Citadel mid 17th century bastioned artillery defence, incorporating late 16th century artillery fort and 18th century statue, on the Hoe'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.
The Royal Citadel mid 17th century bastioned artillery defence, incorporating late 16th century artillery fort and 18th century statue, on the Hoe stands on Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is limestone, mudstone and calcareous mudstone.