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Martello tower



 
 
Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts
Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs....
 built in several countries of the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
 onwards.

They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15-25 men.






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Martello Tower 700
Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts
Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs....
 built in several countries of the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
 onwards.

They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15-25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
 piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. A few Martello towers were surrounded by a moat for extra defence. They were used throughout the 19th century, but became obsolete with the introduction of powerful rifled artillery. Many have survived to the present day, often preserved as historic monuments.

Origins

Martello towers were inspired by a round fortress, part of a larger Genovese
Genoa

Genoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000....
 defense system, at Mortella Point in Corsica
Corsica

Corsica is the Mediterranean islands#By area in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the France mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. (see picture here ) Since the 15th century, similar towers had been built at strategic points around Corsica to protect coastal villages and shipping from North African pirates. They stood one or two stories high and measured 12-15 m (36-45 ft) in diameter, with a single doorway 5 m off the ground that could only be reached by climbing a removable ladder. The towers were paid for by local villagers and staffed by watchmen (known as torregiani) who would signal the approach of unexpected ships by lighting a fire on the tower's roof. This would alert the local defence forces to the incoming threat. Although the pirate threat subsequently dwindled, the Genovese built a newer generation of circular towers that were used to ward off later foreign invasions.

On 7 February 1794, two British warships, HMS Fortitude (74 guns) and HMS Juno
HMS Juno

Seven vessels of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Juno after the Juno * The first HMS Juno was a 32-gun ship launched in 1757 was a fifth rate sailing frigate which was burnt on 7 August 1778 to prevent capture by Patriot at Rhode Island during the American Revolutionary War....
 (32 guns), unsuccessfully attacked the tower at Mortella Point; the tower eventually fell to land-based forces under Sir John Moore
John Moore (British soldier)

Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, Order of the Bath was a United Kingdom soldier and General. He is best known for his military training reforms and for his death at the Battle of Corunna, in which he defeated a French army under Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult during the Peninsular War....
 after two days of heavy fighting. Vice-Admiral Lord Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood

Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a Kingdom of Great Britain Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars....
 reported:

"...The Fortitude and Juno were ordered against it, without making the least impression by a continued cannonade of two hours and a half; and the former ship being very much damaged by red-hot shot, both hauled off. The walls of the Tower were of a prodigious thickness, and the parapet, where there were two eighteen-pounders, was lined with bass junk, five feet from the walls, and filled up with sand; and although it was cannonaded from the Height for two days, within 150 yards, and appeared in a very shattered state, the enemy still held out; but a few hot shot setting fire to the bass, made them call for quarter. The number of men in the Tower were 33; only two were wounded, and those mortally."


Design and construction

The British were impressed by the effectiveness of the tower against their most modern warships and copied the design. However, they got the name wrong, misspelling "Mortella" as "Martello".

The interior of a Martello tower was divided into three stories (sometimes with an additional basement). The ground floor served as the magazine and storerooms, where ammunition, stores and provisions were kept. The garrison of 24 men and one officer lived in a casemate
Casemate

A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress....
 on the first floor, which was divided into several rooms and had fireplaces built into the walls for cooking and heating. The officer and men lived in separate rooms of almost equal size. The roof or terreplein was surmounted with one or two cannon on a central pivot which enabled them to be turned through up to 360 degrees. A well or cistern was provided within the fort to supply the garrison with fresh water. An internal drainage system linked to the roof enabled the cistern to be refilled with rainwater.

Martello towers around the world

During the first half of the 19th century, the British government embarked on a large-scale programme of building Martello towers to guard the British and Irish coastlines and strategic points in British colonial possessions around the world. Around 140 were built, mostly along the south coast of England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. Others were constructed as far afield as Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Minorca
Minorca

Minorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea and belongs to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than nearby island of Majorca....
, South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
. The construction of Martello towers abroad continued until as late as the 1850s but was discontinued after it became clear that they could not withstand the new generation of rifled artillery weapons.

France built similar towers along its own coastline, which they used as platforms for communication by optical telegraphs (using the Chappe Telegraph
Claude Chappe

Claude Chappe was a French inventor who in 1792 demonstrated a practical semaphore line that eventually spanned all of France. This was the first practical telecommunications system of the industrial age, making Chappe the first telecom mogul....
). The United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government also built a number of Martello towers along the east coast of the US, copying the British design with some modifications.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

Great Britain and Ireland were united as a single political entity, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927....
, from 1801 to 1922, spanning the time during which the Martello towers were erected (the initial scheme started under the previous entities of the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a country in North-West Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801....
 and Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland

The Kingdom of Ireland was the name given to the Irish state from 1541, by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland. It was based on the contested legitimacy of the right of conquest....
). Consequently the Martello towers of Great Britain and Ireland can be considered to be part of a single defensive system, designed to protect the British Isles
British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands....
 as a whole. This is most clearly visible on the south and east coasts of England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 and the east coast of Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, where chains of Martello towers were built. Elsewhere in the world, individual Martello towers were erected to provide point defence of strategic locations.

England
Martello Tower 500
Between 1804 and 1812 the British authorities built a chain of towers based on the original Mortella tower to defend the south and east coast of England, Ireland, Jersey
Jersey

The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes the nearly uninhabited islands of the Minquiers, ?cr?hous, the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs....
 and Guernsey
Guernsey

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Isles Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou, Lihou and other islets....
 to guard against possible invasion from France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, then under the rule of the Emperor Napoleon
Napoleon I of France

Napoleon Bonaparte later known as Emperor Napoleon I, was a military and political leader of France whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century....
. A total of 103 Martello towers were built in England, set at regular intervals along the coast from Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex

Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, England, on the south coast, east of Newhaven, East Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex and west of Eastbourne, East Sussex....
, Sussex
Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Su?seaxe , is a Historic counties of England in South East England England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex....
, to Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh is a picturesque coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the Alde river at 52? 9' North, 1? 36' East, the town is notable for its Blue Flag beach shingle beach and fisherman huts , its proximity to Thorpeness village and boating mere and golf courses at Aldeburgh, Thorpeness and Ufford Park....
, Suffolk
Suffolk

Suffolk is a Non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south....
. Most were constructed under the direction of General William Twiss
William Twiss

General William Twiss, , was a British Army Royal Engineer, responsible for the design of many military defenses.Probably born in Kent in 1744 or 1755, Twiss worked in the ordnance office at the Tower of London from 1760, before becoming overseer of works at Gibraltar....
 (1745–1827) and a Captain Ford.

The effectiveness of Britain's Martello towers was never actually tested in combat against a Napoleonic invasion fleet. After the threat had passed, the Martello towers in England met a variety of fates. The Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard

Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating rescue at sea.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK Maritime Search and Rescue Region....
 took over many to aid in the fight against smuggling. Fifteen towers were demolished to re-use their masonry. The sea washed thirty away, while the military destroyed four in experiments to test the effectiveness of the new rifled artillery. During the Second World War, some Martello towers returned to military service as observation platforms and firing platforms for anti-aircraft artillery. Forty-seven have survived in England, of which a few have been restored and transformed into museums (e.g., the tower at St Osyth
St Osyth

| |}St Osyth is a village and civil parish in northeast Essex. It is about west of Clacton-on-Sea, and about southeast of Colchester. It is located on the B1027 road and is named after Osyth, a saint and Anglian princess....
), visitor centres, and galleries (such as Jaywick Martello Tower
Jaywick Martello Tower

Jaywick Martello Tower is a renovated Martello tower that functions as a Digital arts venue. The Napoleonic Tower features a gallery space where the photographer John Kippin has produced a site-specific art installation and body>data>space created a first floor multimedia space for exhibitions, events and workshops using the latest technolog...
). Some are privately owned or are private residences; the remainder are derelict.

Scotland
Three Martello towers were built in Scotland, two at Hackness and Crockness near Longhope
Longhope, Orkney

Longhope is a coastal settlement on the island of South Walls which is one of the Orkney islands off the northern coast of Scotland. South Walls is linked to Hoy by causeway; Longhope is the largest settlement on the two islands....
 in the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands

Orkney is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises over 70 islands; around 20 are inhabited....
. They were constructed between 1813 and 1815 to guard against the threat of French and American raiders attacking convoys
Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas....
 assembling offshore. The Hackness tower is now a museum operated by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.Its website states:It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry....
. A third Scottish tower was built on offshore rocks facing the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth

The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, and East Lothian to the south....
 in 1807-09 to defend Leith
Leith

Leith is a district and former municipal burgh in the north of the city of Edinburgh at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is the Seaport of Edinburgh, Scotland....
 Harbour. Known locally as the Tally Too'er, it now lies land-locked within the eastern breakwater.

Ireland
Martello Tower
About fifty Martello towers were built around the Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 coastline, especially along the east coast, from Millmount
Millmount Fort

Millmount Fort, is a large 19th century Martello tower located in Drogheda. Built in 1808, it is one of a series of Martello Towers erected by the British in expectation of a possible invasion of Ireland by Napoleon....
 (Drogheda), to Bray
Bray

Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 32,000 people, making it the fourth largest town in Ireland ....
, around Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay is a River delta shaped inlet of the Irish Sea off the east coast of Ireland.The bay is approximately 10 km in width at its north-south base and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin, stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south....
 but also around Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour

Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" ....
 on the south coast. On the east coast, concentrated mainly around Dublin Bay, the towers were in line of sight of each other, providing the ability to communicate with one another, or warn of any incoming attacks. Possibly the most famous is the Martello tower in Sandycove
Sandycove

Sandycove is a small village located on the east coast of the Republic of Ireland, in South County Dublin, and more specifically, in the local authority area of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown....
, near Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire

D?n Laoghaire is a suburban seaside town and county town of County of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Republic of Ireland.The town is situated some 12 kilometres south of Dublin city centre, and is a major port of entry from Great Britain....
, in which James Joyce
James Joyce

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Ireland expatriate author of the 20th century. He is best known for his landmark novel Ulysses and its controversial successor Finnegans Wake , as well as the short story collection Dubliners and the semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....
 lived for a few days. Joyce shared the tower with Oliver St. John Gogarty
Oliver St. John Gogarty

Oliver Joseph St John Gogarty was an Ireland physician and ear surgery, poet and author, one of the most prominent Dublin wits. He was also a football player for Bohemian F.C....
, then a medical student but later to become famous in Irish history as a surgeon, politician and writer. The fictional character Stephen Dedalus
Stephen Dedalus

Stephen Dedalus is James Joyce's literary alter ego, as well as the protagonist and antihero of his first, semi-autobiographical novel of artistic existence A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and an important character in Joyce's monumental Ulysses ....
 lives in the tower with a medical student, Malachi "Buck" Mulligan, in Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)

Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on February 2, 1922, in Paris....
. Joyce based the character Buck Mulligan on Gogarty. Known as the James Joyce Tower, it is now a museum dedicated to Joyce. A number of other Martello towers are extant nearby at Bulloch Harbour
Bulloch Harbour

Bulloch Harbour is a harbour located on the south-east coast of Dublin, Ireland. It is home to many Pinnipeds and fishermen. From the harbour, it is possible to rent a boat to go to Dalkey Island....
, Dalkey Island
Dalkey Island

Dalkey Island is situated about 16 km south of Dublin, near the village of Dalkey, 3 km south of D?n Laoghaire harbour. The island is now uninhabited by humans, but there are the remains of houses, a church and a Martello Tower....
, Williamstown Seapoint
Seapoint

Seapoint is a small seafront area between Blackrock, Dublin and Monkstown, Dublin in Dublin in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area....
 and Sandymount
Sandymount

Sandymount is a coastal suburb of South Dublin in the Dublin 4 postal district in republic of Ireland. It was once part of Pembroke Township and is in the Dublin South East electoral constituency and the Pembroke East Ward....
 and Martello towers feature in many literary works set in Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
. On the north side of the city, Martello towers can be found in Portmarnock
Portmarnock

Portmarnock is a small suburban village with extensive housing estates to the north and west, north of the city of Dublin in the part of County Dublin in the administrative county of Fingal, Republic of Ireland....
, Howth
Howth

Howth is a town in the Fingal County Council administrative area of County Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village and surrounding rural district, Howth is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside....
, Sutton
Sutton, Dublin

Sutton is a residential suburb of Dublin's Northside , Republic of Ireland, at the base of Howth Head, the peninsula which forms the northern edge of Dublin Bay....
 and on both Ireland's Eye
Ireland's Eye

Ireland's Eye is a small uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland, situated directly north of Howth Harbour. The island is easily reached by regular tourist boats....
 and Lambay Island
Lambay Island

Lambay Island lies off the coast of north County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, north of Ireland's Eye. It is located at and is the Extreme points of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland....
. During the 1980s Bono
Bono

Paul David Hewson , also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Ireland rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2....
 owned the Martello tower in Bray
Bray

Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 32,000 people, making it the fourth largest town in Ireland ....
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow

County Wicklow is a Counties of Ireland on the east coast of Republic of Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. The county is bordered by the Irish Sea and the counties of County Carlow, County Kildare, County Wexford, as well as two parts of what was County Dublin, County of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and County of South Dublin....
.

There are seven Martello Towers in the vicinity of Cork Harbour. During the 19th century Fenian uprising
Fenian Rising

The Fenian Rising of 1867 was a rebellion against United Kingdom rule in Ireland, organised by the Fenian Brotherhood.After the suppression of the Irish People newspaper, disaffection among Irish radical nationalists had continued to smoulder, and during the latter part of 1866 Irish Republican Brotherhood leader James Stephens endeav...
, the famous Captain Mackey briefly captured and held the Monning Martello tower near Fota island
Fota Island

Fota Island is a small island in Cork Harbour, Ireland, just north of the larger island of C?bh. It is host to Ireland's only wildlife park - as well as the historical Fota House with ornamental gardens and an 18-hole golf course....
 in Cork
Cork

Cork may refer to:* Cork , used for bottle stoppers and noteboards* Cork , a city in Ireland* Cork * Cork encoding, a digital data format* Stopper or closure ...
 Harbour; this tower is believed to have been the only one ever captured. The other Cork Harbour towers are at Ringaskiddy
Ringaskiddy

Ringaskiddy is a village south of Cork , in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Located across Cork harbour south from C?bh, and connected to Cork city by the N28 road Roads in Ireland the village is now a major ferry port and is one of two free ports in Ireland, the other being in the River Shannon area....
, Haulbowline Island (now part of the Irish Naval Service HQ) and at Belvelly and Rossleague on the Great Island
Great Island

Great Island is the name of an island in Cork Harbour, just outside Cork city, at the mouth of the River Lee . The town of C?bh is situated on the island, which is connected by bridge to Fota Island to the north, which in turn is connected by a causeway to the mainland....
 (near Cobh
Cobh

Cobh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland with a population of around 13,000 inhabitants.The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove in 1750....
). There were also Martello towers at Little Island
Little Island, Cork

Little Island is an industrial and residential area to the east of Cork . Many of Cork's pharmaceutical companies are based on the island.In recent years development on Little Island has grown rapidly, with developments such as East Gate which consists of retail and commercial development....
 and Rostellan
Rostellan

Rostellan is a townland in the civil parish of the same name in County Cork, Ireland.References...
 though these are no longer fully intact.

The tower at Seapoint
Seapoint

Seapoint is a small seafront area between Blackrock, Dublin and Monkstown, Dublin in Dublin in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area....
, County Dublin
County Dublin

County Dublin , or more correctly today the Dublin Region , is the area that contains the city of Dublin, the Capital of Republic of Ireland as well as the largest city on the island of Ireland; and the modern counties of County of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, County of Fingal and County of South Dublin....
, is the headquarters of the Genealogical Society of Ireland
Genealogical Society of Ireland

Genealogical Society of Ireland is a voluntary non-governmental organisation promoting the study of genealogy, heraldry, vexillology and social history in Ireland and amongst the Irish Diaspora as open access educational leisure pursuits available to all....
, while the restored tower at Ilnacullin
Ilnacullin

Ilnacullin, or sometimes Illaunacullin known locally as Garnish Island , is a very tranquil yet popular tourist attraction in Ireland, located in the small harbour of Glengarriff, County Cork which forms part of Bantry Bay....
 is a feature of an island garden in Glengarriff
Glengarriff

Glengarriff is a village of approximately 800 people in the south-west region of County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Known internationally as a tourism venue, it boasts many natural attractions....
, County Cork
County Cork

County Cork is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Republic of Ireland. Cork is nicknamed "The Rebel County", as a result of the support of the townsmen of Cork in 1491 for Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the throne of England during the Wars of the Roses....
. Several other towers are still extant, including one at Rathmullan
Rathmullan

Rathmullan is a small seaside village in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, 11 km north-east of Ramelton and 12 km east of Milford, County Donegal....
 in County Donegal
County Donegal

County Donegal is a county located in the west of the Province of Ulster, in the northwest of Ireland. It is one of three counties in the Province of Ulster that do not form part of Northern Ireland....
.

Elsewhere

Fort Denison 1

Australia
The last Martello tower built in the British Empire is said to be that at Fort Denison
Fort Denison, New South Wales

Fort Denison is a former penal site and defensive facility occupying a small island located north of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia....
, a small island in Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson

Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the harbor of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge....
, New South Wales
New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
. It was built to protect Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
 against the threat of a naval attack by the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
ns during the Crimean War
Crimean War

The Crimean War, also known in Russia as the Oriental War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other....
 of the 1850s and construction was completed in 1857, well after the war had ended. Fort Denison is well preserved and is now a popular tourist attraction.

Barbuda

There is a Martello tower on the island of Barbuda
Barbuda

Barbuda is an island in the Eastern Caribbean, and forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. It has a population of about 1,500, most of whom live in the town of Codrington, Barbuda....
 in the West Indies. It is attached to a pre-existing fort, probably built by the Spanish. It was used to guard the southwest of the island, and is located approximately seven miles south of the island's main village at Codrington.

Bermuda

There is a Martello tower located at Ferry Reach
Ferry Reach, Bermuda

Ferry Reach is a three mile long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St. George's Island, Bermuda in the north and St. David's Island, Bermuda in the south south-west of the town of St....
 in St George's Parish. It was completed in the 1820s.

British Virgin Islands

Fort Recovery
Fort Recovery, Tortola

Fort Recovery is a fort on the West End of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. In historical records, the fort is often referred to as Tower Fort, and the area around the fort is still referred to as "Towers" today....
 on the west end of Tortola
Tortola

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands....
 was rebuilt by the British with a Martello tower.

Canada
Carleton Martello Interior
A total of sixteen Martello towers were built in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, of which eleven still survive. Canadian Martello towers were built with removable cone-shaped roofs to protect against snow, and many of the restored towers now have permanent roof additions - for ease of upkeep, not historical accuracy.

Four towers were built in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The oldest Martello-style tower in North America is the Prince of Wales Tower, located in Point Pleasant Park
Point Pleasant Park

Point Pleasant Park is a large, partially forested area at the southern tip of Halifax Peninsula peninsula. It once hosted several Artillery battery, and a well-preserved eighteenth century Martello tower can be found there....
. It was built in 1796, and was used as a redoubt, a powder magazine and has been restored as a National Heritage site. The Duke of York Martello Tower was built in 1798 at York Redoubt
York Redoubt

York Redoubt is a National Historic Site situated on a bluff overlooking the entrance to Halifax Harbour at Ferguson's Cove, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, originally constructed in 1793....
. Its lower level still stands, though it has been boarded up for conservation purposes. The Duke of Clarence Martello Tower stood on the Dartmouth shore. Sherbrooke Martello Tower stood opposite York Redoubt on McNabs Island
McNabs Island

McNabs Island is the largest island in Halifax Harbour located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. It played a major role in defending Halifax Harbour and is now a provincial park....
. Another Martello tower stood on Georges Island.
Cmr   Tour Martello 2
Quebec City
Quebec City

Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
 originally had four Martello towers. Tower No. 1 stands on the Plains of Abraham
Plains of Abraham

The Plains of Abraham is a historic 108-acre plateau within The Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Canada, located just outside the Citadelle of Quebec and the Ramparts of Quebec City....
, overlooking the St Lawrence River. It has been restored as a museum and can be visited during the summer months. Tower no. 2 stands close nearby, and it currently hosts an 1812 Murder Mystery Dinner. Tower No. 3 was demolished in the 1900s after being used as a residence, and the fourth surviving Martello Tower in Quebec, No. 4, is located in a residential area on the north side of the Upper City overlooking Lower Town.

No less than four were built at Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin....
 to defend its harbour and naval shipyards in response to the Oregon Crisis
Oregon boundary dispute

The Oregon boundary dispute, or the Oregon question, arose as a result of competing United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and United States claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century....
. Two thin towers were added to the existing fortifications at Fort Henry
Fort Henry, Ontario

Fort Henry is located in Kingston, Ontario, Ontario, Canada on Point Henry, a strategic point located near the mouth of the Cataraqui River where it flows into the St....
 between 1845 and 1848. These are considered dry ditch defence towers, rather than true Martello towers. The four independent towers were built as redoubts to defend against marine attacks. Two of Kingston's towers, Murney Tower
Murney Tower

Murney Tower is a Martello tower in Kingston, Ontario, Ontario, Canada dating back to 1846. Built during the Oregon crisis, Murney Tower, was intended to supplement the fortifications of Fort Henry, Ontario....
 and the tower at Point Frederick (at the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada

The Royal Military College of Canada , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers....
) are maintained as museums, which are open during the summer. Earthen ramparts and a limestone curtain wall further defend Frederick Tower. The only Martello tower completely surrounded by water, the Shoal Tower, stands in Kingston's Confederation Basin and is opened to the public as part of Doors Open Ontario for one day only in June each year, (since 2005). The fourth, Cathcart Tower
Cathcart Tower

Cathcart Tower is a Martello tower located on Cedar Island just off the shore from historic Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario Canada. It is one of four such towers built in the 1840s to protect Kingston's harbour and the entrance to the Rideau Canal....
, stands unused on Cedar Island near Point Henry. Carleton Martello Tower, overlooking the harbour of Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 68,043....
, is now a museum and a National Historic Site.

The Canadian Press reported on April 16 2006 that the Canadian military is using the same name to name a base in Afghanistan. The new base will be called Forward Operating Base (FOB) Martello.

Jamaica

There is a Martello tower located at Fort Nugent, built to guard the eastern entrance of Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the Capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country. It faces a natural harbor protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit which connects Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island....
 Harbour. It was probably built in 1802, with a reported cost of £12,000.

Mauritius
The British built five Martello Towers between 1832 and 1835 at Grand River North West, Black River and Port Louis, of which three survive. One, near the La Preneuse public beach in Tamarin
Tamarin

The tamarins are any of the squirrel-sized New World monkeys from the family Cebidae, classified as the genus Saguinus. The closely related lion tamarins are in genus Leontopithecus....
, has been restored by the Friends of the Environment and operates as a museum open for visitors. The original entrance to the tower is raised above ground but a new entrance has been constructed at ground level.

Sierra Leone
A Martello tower was built on Tower Hill at Freetown
Freetown

Freetown is the Capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of Sierra Leone and with a population of 1,070,200 ....
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the northeast, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest....
 in 1805 to defend the port from attacks by the Temne people
Temne people

The Temne people are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Mende people. They live primarily in the Northern Province, Sierra Leone and the Western Area and they make up 30% of Sierra Leone's total population or 1,888,432 members....
. It was significantly modified in 1870 when it was truncated to allow the installation of a water tank to supply Government House (Fort Thornton) with water. The tower has now been incorporated into Sierra Leone's Parliament Buildings.

South Africa
The British built three Martello towers in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, one at Simon's Town
Simon's Town

Simon's Town and, in Afrikaans, Simonstad), is a village and a naval base in South Africa, near Cape Town. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula....
 Naval base near Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
, one at Cape Town, and the third at Fort Beaufort
Fort Beaufort

Fort Beaufort is a small town in the Amatole District Municipality of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Fort Beaufort lies at the confluence of the Kat River and Brak River rivers between the Keiskamma River and Great Fish River rivers....
. The tower at Simon’s Town and Cape Town were both built in 1795. The tower at Cape Town was demolished over 100 years ago, but the tower at Simon's Town now is sometimes claimed as the oldest Martello in the world. It is arguable as to whether one should properly call it a Martello Tower. That said, Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. A Vice Admiral is typically senior to a Rear Admiral and junior to an Admiral....
 George Elphinstone, who commanded the force that captured the colony and then served briefly as its governor, had served with the Mediterranean fleet off Corsica in 1794. The British built the tower at Fort Beaufort in 1837, and it is probably the only example of an inland Martello tower.

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
 has one Martello tower, located at Hambantota
Hambantota

Hambantota is a rural town in southeastern coastal area of Sri Lanka. It is also the capital of the Hambantota District in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka of Sri Lanka....
 on the south coast. It was restored in 1999.

United States
The United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government built several Martello towers at locations along the eastern seaboard. Two are at Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States.The city encompasses Key West, the namesake island, the part of Stock Island, Florida north of U.S....
; others were built at the harbours of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 20,784 at the United States Census, 2000....
, Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County....
 and New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. Two more Martello towers stood at Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island, Georgia

Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia, Georgia near the city of Savannah, Georgia in the southeastern United States. It is the easternmost point in the state of Georgia....
 and Bayou Dupre, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
.

Although the Americans copied the design from the towers the British erected in Canada, the American Martello towers differed in some significant respects from the British. The Martello tower built at Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island, Georgia

Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia, Georgia near the city of Savannah, Georgia in the southeastern United States. It is the easternmost point in the state of Georgia....
 was constructed around 1815 utilising wood and tabby
Tabby (cement)

Tabby is a building material consisting of Lime , sand, water, and crushed oyster shells. It was made and used on the Sea Islands of coastal South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida in the Southern United States during the Colonial America up until the early 1800s as a substitute for bricks, which were rare and expensive because of the...
, a common local building material at the time, instead of the brick or stone that the British towers used. Also unlike the British towers, the Tybee tower featured gun loops on the garrison floor that enabled musket
Musket

A musket is a Muzzle -loaded, smoothbore long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder.Usually, the musket is thought to be the weapon that replaced the arquebus, and was in turn replaced by the rifle....
s to be fired through the walls. It was never tested in battle and by the time of the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 was in a state of disrepair. Its unfamiliar design confused local writers, who often said that the Spanish had built the tower when Georgia was Spain's colony.

A Martello tower figures in the arms of the 41st Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.

List of Martello towers outside Great Britain

Country Location Tower name Built Current status
Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
Fort Denison 1850s Museum
Barbuda
Barbuda

Barbuda is an island in the Eastern Caribbean, and forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. It has a population of about 1,500, most of whom live in the town of Codrington, Barbuda....
Near Codrington   
Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
Ferry Reach
Ferry Reach, Bermuda

Ferry Reach is a three mile long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St. George's Island, Bermuda in the north and St. David's Island, Bermuda in the south south-west of the town of St....
  1823 Can be visited
British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands is a British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands, the remaining islands constituting the United States Virgin Islands....
Tortola
Tortola

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands....
Fort Recovery
Fort Recovery, Tortola

Fort Recovery is a fort on the West End of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. In historical records, the fort is often referred to as Tower Fort, and the area around the fort is still referred to as "Towers" today....
  Private (hotel)
Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
Halifax, Nova Scotia Prince of Wales Tower 1796 Open to public
  Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin....
Fort Frederick
Fort Frederick (Kingston)

Fort Frederick is a historic military installation in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Fort consists of Earthworks surrounding a Martello tower....
1846/7 Museum
  Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin....
Murney Tower
Murney Tower

Murney Tower is a Martello tower in Kingston, Ontario, Ontario, Canada dating back to 1846. Built during the Oregon crisis, Murney Tower, was intended to supplement the fortifications of Fort Henry, Ontario....
1846 Museum
  Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin....
Shoal Tower 1846 Closed to Public
  Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin....
Cathcart Tower
Cathcart Tower

Cathcart Tower is a Martello tower located on Cedar Island just off the shore from historic Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario Canada. It is one of four such towers built in the 1840s to protect Kingston's harbour and the entrance to the Rideau Canal....
1846 Closed to Public
  Quebec City, Quebec  1808-1812 Tower #1 - Museum
Tower #2 - Open for group activities through National Battlefields Commission
Tower #3 - Destroyed
Tower #4 - Closed to Public
  Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 68,043....
Carleton Martello Tower 1815 Museum
Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
Achill Island
Achill Island

Achill Island in County Mayo is the largest island of Ireland, and is situated off the west coast. It has a population of 2,700. Its area is 148 km? ....
   
  Aughinish
Aughinish

Aughinish is a small island located in north County Clare, in Ireland on the south shore of Galway Bay.The island was originally connected to county Clare, but in 1755 that connection was lost due to the tsunami effect of the massive Portugal earthquake....
Aughinish Tower
Aughinish Tower

Aughinish Tower is a Martello tower at Aughinish, County Clare, Republic of Ireland dating back to March 1811 when of land for the site was purchased from a Major Lynch....
  Private Residence
  Balbriggan
Balbriggan

Balbriggan is a town in north county Dublin, Ireland . The 2006 census population was 15,559 for Balbriggan and its environs....
    
  Banagher
Banagher

Banagher is a town in Republic of Ireland, located in the midlands on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon....
   Private residence
  Bere Island
Bere Island

Bere Island is an island in the west of County Cork in the Republic of Ireland. The island is also known as Bear Island. It is roughly 7 x 3 miles in dimension and has a population of 210....
 Cloughland
   
  Bere Island
Bere Island

Bere Island is an island in the west of County Cork in the Republic of Ireland. The island is also known as Bear Island. It is roughly 7 x 3 miles in dimension and has a population of 210....
 Ardagh
   
  Bray
Bray

Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 32,000 people, making it the fourth largest town in Ireland ....
   Private residence
  Bulloch Harbour
Bulloch Harbour

Bulloch Harbour is a harbour located on the south-east coast of Dublin, Ireland. It is home to many Pinnipeds and fishermen. From the harbour, it is possible to rent a boat to go to Dalkey Island....
   Private residence
  Dalkey Island
Dalkey Island

Dalkey Island is situated about 16 km south of Dublin, near the village of Dalkey, 3 km south of D?n Laoghaire harbour. The island is now uninhabited by humans, but there are the remains of houses, a church and a Martello Tower....
   
  Finavarra Finavarra Tower
Finavarra Tower

Finavarra Tower is a Martello tower in Finavarra, Clare, County Clare, Republic of Ireland dating back to 1816. Built during the Napoleanic wars, and situated on Finavarra Point, the tower protected the north-eastern side of Ballyvaughan Bay and the south-western entrance of New Quay harbour from possible attack from France....
1816 Open to public
  Ringaskiddy
Ringaskiddy

Ringaskiddy is a village south of Cork , in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Located across Cork harbour south from C?bh, and connected to Cork city by the N28 road Roads in Ireland the village is now a major ferry port and is one of two free ports in Ireland, the other being in the River Shannon area....
, Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour

Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" ....
  
  Haulbowline Island, Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour

Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" ....
   Museum, owned by Irish Navy
  Fota Island
Fota Island

Fota Island is a small island in Cork Harbour, Ireland, just north of the larger island of C?bh. It is host to Ireland's only wildlife park - as well as the historical Fota House with ornamental gardens and an 18-hole golf course....
, Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour

Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" ....
  
  Howth
Howth

Howth is a town in the Fingal County Council administrative area of County Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village and surrounding rural district, Howth is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside....
   Museum & radio station
  Ilnacullin
Ilnacullin

Ilnacullin, or sometimes Illaunacullin known locally as Garnish Island , is a very tranquil yet popular tourist attraction in Ireland, located in the small harbour of Glengarriff, County Cork which forms part of Bantry Bay....
   
  Ireland's Eye
Ireland's Eye

Ireland's Eye is a small uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland, situated directly north of Howth Harbour. The island is easily reached by regular tourist boats....
   
  Lambay Island
Lambay Island

Lambay Island lies off the coast of north County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, north of Ireland's Eye. It is located at and is the Extreme points of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland....
   
  Loughshinny   
  Portmarnock
Portmarnock

Portmarnock is a small suburban village with extensive housing estates to the north and west, north of the city of Dublin in the part of County Dublin in the administrative county of Fingal, Republic of Ireland....
   Private residence
  Rathmullan
Rathmullan

Rathmullan is a small seaside village in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, 11 km north-east of Ramelton and 12 km east of Milford, County Donegal....
   
  Rosaveel    
  Sandycove
Sandycove

Sandycove is a small village located on the east coast of the Republic of Ireland, in South County Dublin, and more specifically, in the local authority area of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown....
James Joyce
James Joyce

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Ireland expatriate author of the 20th century. He is best known for his landmark novel Ulysses and its controversial successor Finnegans Wake , as well as the short story collection Dubliners and the semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....
's Martello tower
  Museum
  Sandymount
Sandymount

Sandymount is a coastal suburb of South Dublin in the Dublin 4 postal district in republic of Ireland. It was once part of Pembroke Township and is in the Dublin South East electoral constituency and the Pembroke East Ward....
   
  Seapoint
Seapoint

Seapoint is a small seafront area between Blackrock, Dublin and Monkstown, Dublin in Dublin in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area....
   Headquarters of the Genealogical Society of Ireland
Genealogical Society of Ireland

Genealogical Society of Ireland is a voluntary non-governmental organisation promoting the study of genealogy, heraldry, vexillology and social history in Ireland and amongst the Irish Diaspora as open access educational leisure pursuits available to all....
  Shenick Island
Shenick Island

Shenick Island lies east of Skerries, Dublin, County Dublin in Republic of Ireland. It is populated only by seals, that harbour on the western side of the island and a few different species of seabirds nest there....
   
  Sutton
Sutton, Dublin

Sutton is a residential suburb of Dublin's Northside , Republic of Ireland, at the base of Howth Head, the peninsula which forms the northern edge of Dublin Bay....
   Private residence
  Williamstown   
Jamaica
Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about south of Cuba, and west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated....
Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the Capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country. It faces a natural harbor protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit which connects Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island....
Fort Nugent 1802? 
Mauritius
Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
Tamarin
Tamarin

The tamarins are any of the squirrel-sized New World monkeys from the family Cebidae, classified as the genus Saguinus. The closely related lion tamarins are in genus Leontopithecus....
  1832-35 Museum
  L'Harmonie1832-35  
  La Preneuse 1832-35  
  Cunningham's Tower1832-35Disappeared between 1880 and 1902.
 Fort Victoria 1832-35Last mentioned 1880
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the northeast, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest....
Freetown
Freetown

Freetown is the Capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of Sierra Leone and with a population of 1,070,200 ....
Tower Hill Martello Tower 1805 Part of Parliament Buildings
South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
Fort Beaufort
Fort Beaufort

Fort Beaufort is a small town in the Amatole District Municipality of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Fort Beaufort lies at the confluence of the Kat River and Brak River rivers between the Keiskamma River and Great Fish River rivers....
  1837 
  Simon's Town
Simon's Town

Simon's Town and, in Afrikaans, Simonstad), is a village and a naval base in South Africa, near Cape Town. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula....
  1795/6 At the Naval Base. Houses a small museum.
  Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
Craig's Tower 1795/6 Demolished late 19th Century
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
Hambantota
Hambantota

Hambantota is a rural town in southeastern coastal area of Sri Lanka. It is also the capital of the Hambantota District in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka of Sri Lanka....
  1801-03 
United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne

File:National Atlas Louisiana east detailed.gifLake Borgne is a lagoon in eastern Louisiana of the Gulf of Mexico. Due to coastal erosion, it is no longer actually a lake but rather an arm of the Gulf of Mexico....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
Tower Dupre 1830? hexagonal; originally built on shore, 150 ft (46 m) from water, near Bayou Dupre
Bayou Dupre

Bayou Dupre is a bayou in southeastern Louisiana....
's entrance to Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne

File:National Atlas Louisiana east detailed.gifLake Borgne is a lagoon in eastern Louisiana of the Gulf of Mexico. Due to coastal erosion, it is no longer actually a lake but rather an arm of the Gulf of Mexico....
; private fishing camp; threatened by subsidence and tidal erosion
  Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County....
   
  Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States.The city encompasses Key West, the namesake island, the part of Stock Island, Florida north of U.S....
   
  New York Harbor
New York Harbor

New York Harbor, a geographic term, refers collectively to the rivers, bays, and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City....
   Destroyed
  Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 20,784 at the United States Census, 2000....
Walbach Tower, Fort Constitution 1814 Ruined
  Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island, Georgia

Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia, Georgia near the city of Savannah, Georgia in the southeastern United States. It is the easternmost point in the state of Georgia....
  1815 Destroyed


See also

  • Fort Denison
    Fort Denison, New South Wales

    Fort Denison is a former penal site and defensive facility occupying a small island located north of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia....
     - Martello tower in Sydney
  • List of castles
    List of castles

    The List of castles is a link page for any castle in the sense of a fortified building....
  • List of fortifications
    List of fortifications

    This is a list of fortifications past and present, a fortification being a major physical defensive structure often composed of a more or less wall-connected series of forts....
  • List of forts
    List of forts

    This is a list for articles on notable historic forts which may or may not be under current active use by a military. There are also many towns named after a Fort, the largest being Fort Worth, Texas, USA....
  • Eastbourne Redoubt
    Eastbourne Redoubt

    Eastbourne Redoubt is a fort on what is now Royal Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England....
  • Palmerston Forts
    Palmerston Forts

    The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures, around the coast of Great Britain.The forts were built during the Victorian era period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, following concerns about concerned at the strength of the French Navy, and strenuous debate in p...


External links

  • - a guide to England's south coast Martello towers
  • - pictures of the original tower at Mortella
  • - the ancestor of Martello towers all over the world
  • (Restoration of an Irish Martello tower)
  • - Quebec city's Martello Towers