Scheduled Monuments›England›Western Kings artillery tower

Western Kings artillery tower

England
List entry 1003849
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003849
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0 hectares
Grid reference
SX 45946 53346
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Western Kings artillery tower is a coastal defensive structure located in Devon, England, dating to the sixteenth century. The tower was constructed as part of the Tudor fortification programme, which saw the establishment of a chain of artillery forts and towers along the English coast to defend against invasion threats, particularly from France and Spain. The structure exemplifies the military architecture of the early modern period, incorporating features designed to mount and operate cannon for coastal defence. As a scheduled monument, it represents an important survival of Tudor-period military engineering and continues to provide evidence of England's evolving defensive strategies during this period of significant geopolitical tension.

Western Kings artillery tower is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003849. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Western Kings artillery tower?

Western Kings artillery tower is a coastal defensive structure located in Devon, England, dating to the sixteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003849.

Who is responsible for protecting Western Kings artillery tower?

Western Kings artillery 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 1003849.

What other scheduled monuments are near Western Kings artillery tower?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Battery and Royal Commission fortification called Grenville Battery (3 km), Breakwater fort (3.1 km), Two batteries and part of a third at Maker Heights called Redoubt No1, Redoubt No2 and Redoubt No3 (3.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Western Kings artillery tower

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Western Kings artillery 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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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

Battery and Royal Commission fortification called Grenville Battery
3 km
Breakwater fort
3.1 km
Two batteries and part of a third at Maker Heights called Redoubt No1, Redoubt No2 and Redoubt No3
3.1 km
Fort Bovisand
3.9 km
Staddon Heights Defences including Fort Staddon Fort, Brownhill Battery, Watch House Battery, Staddon Heights Battery, Staddon Battery and associated features and structures
3.9 km
Cawsand Fort
4 km
Royal Commission fortifications at Forder Hill including two musketry lines and a road block
4.5 km
Royal Commission Fortification: unfinished battery at Knatterbury
5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Western Kings artillery tower

Western Kings artillery tower stands on Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is limestone, mudstone and calcareous mudstone.

Domesday entry for Stonehouse, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments