Name: Dymchurch Martello Tower
Rating: 5.0

Dymchurch Martello Tower

High Street, Dymchurch, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 0NU, UK

1-99 Years

Paid

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Description

Dymchurch Martello Tower Between 1805 and 1808 the British government built small artillery forts known as ‘Martello towers’ along the south-east coast between Folkestone and Seaford. Their purpose was to defend the most vulnerable coastal areas against the expected invasion by the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Dymchurch Martello Tower is a fine example, and has been restored to resemble its original appearance – with garrison accommodation on the first floor, a storeroom for food, coal, water and ammunition below, and a powerful 24-pounder gun on the roof.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of Dymchurch Martello Tower: This structure is one of 74 similar towers built along England’s south coast in Kent and East Sussex, largely between 1805 and 1808. They were part of a nationwide defensive plan against the threat of invasion by the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The tower functioned as a small fort equipped with a powerful gun to defend the beach. It also protected one of the main sluices controlling the water level in Romney Marsh, in the event of an enemy attempt to land troops for a campaign inland.
Today it is one of only 26 towers surviving of the original 74, and the only one presented to resemble its original appearance.
The threat of invasion: Between 1793 and 1802, Britain was involved in two European coalitions fighting against Revolutionary France. Armed conflict ended in 1802 but the fundamental differences were not resolved, and in 1803 Britain went to war with France again.
The nation prepares: In 1803, the government consulted military experts about the idea of building gun towers at vulnerable points along the coast. Such towers were not innovative, but their effectiveness for coastal defence had been demonstrated only a few years previously, in 1794, during fighting on the coast of Corsica. Two British warships, HMS Fortitude (74 guns) and HMS Juno (32 guns), had attacked a French-held circular tower equipped with just three guns at Mortella Point, without success, and sustained considerable damage.
Building the towers: Work on the south coast towers began early in 1805 and most of them – numbered 1 to 74 from east to west – were completed by 1808, though some work carried on for another two years. The new towers covered the most vulnerable stretches of beach and significant harbours, plugging gaps between existing gun batteries and forts built from 1793 onwards, for instance at Dungeness. There were three main concentrations – between Folkestone and Dungeness, along Winchelsea Beach, and between Rye and Eastbourne. There was a solitary tower further west, at Seaford.
The Dymchurch tower: Martello tower 24 is one of six at or close to Dymchurch, of which three survive. It stands on the eastern side of the Marshland Sluice, one of the main drainage outfalls that regulate the water level in Romney Marsh – an area of low-lying flat land kept dry by large drains, and defended from the sea by high artificial banks (notably Dymchurch Wall) and the massive shingle spit of Dungeness. Tower 25 is only 260 metres (285 yards) away on the other side of the outfall.

Facilities

Parking: There is no parking at the tower but the public pay-and-display Central Car Park is a two-minute walk away.
Food & Drinks: There are no facilities at the tower is in the village of Dymchurch with shops and places to eat close by.
Toilets: There are no facilities at the tower but there are public toilets at the nearby Central Car Park.
Dogs: Assistance dogs only are welcome.

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Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Free Entry.

Pricing URL: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dymchurch-martello-tower/opening-times/

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open April - October: Saturdays and BH Mondays only 14:00 - 16:00.

Address: High Street, Dymchurch, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 0NU, UK

Post Code: TN29 0NU

Council: Folkestone and Hythe

County: Kent

Road Access: Access from Dymchurch High Street.
Bus Access: Stagecoach in East Kent ‘The Wave’ services 101, 102 & 105.
Train Access: Sandling Station 7 miles, train services operated by Southeastern. Dymchurch Station, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway 1⁄3 mile (approx 5min walk).
Bicycle Access: Find this site on The National Cycle Network.
Parking: There is no parking at the tower but the public pay-and-display Central Car Park is a two-minute walk away.