Fortifications of Plymouth

The Royal Citadel, Plymouth, viewed from Mount Batten Tower.

The fortifications of Plymouth in Devon are extensive due to its natural harbour, its commanding position on the Western Approaches and its role as the United Kingdom's second largest naval base after Portsmouth. The first medieval defences were built to defend Sutton Harbour on the eastern side of Plymouth Sound at the mouth of the River Plym, but by the 18th century, naval activity had begun to shift westward to Devonport at the mouth of the River Tamar. During the Victorian era, advances in military technology led to a huge programme of fortification encompassing the whole of Plymouth Sound together with the overland approaches. Many of these works remained in military use well into the 20th century.

Medieval fortifications

At the time of the Norman Conquest, Plymouth was a tiny settlement at Sutton Harbour, but in 1295 and 1357, royal expeditions to France had used Plymouth as a final gathering place before making the crossing. In in 1377, a murage grant was received to fund its fortification, although what form these works took is unknown.

Plymouth Castle

Main article: Plymouth Castle

Following a French raid on Plymouth in August 1403, King Henry IV ordered the prior of Plympton and the abbot of Tavistock to further fortify the town with walls and towers. The eventual result of this was a castle with four towers overlooking the town and harbour, which seems to have been largely funded by the townspeople and was under the control of Plymouth's mayor and aldermen.[1] Only a small section of the castle fabric survives, located in Lambhay Street, at the head of a flight of stairs leading down to the Mayflower Steps on the quayside.[2]

The Barbican

Closely associated with the castle was a fortification right at the mouth of Sutton Harbour which gives its name to the present Barbican district. From depictions on Renaissance maps, it apparently consisted of a fortified jetty from which the harbour entrance could be "chained over when the need requireth".[3]

Tudor fortifications

The blockhouse at Mount Edgcumbe, which is believed to date from circa 1545

Tudor blockhouses

During the early Tudor period, six blockhouses were constructed at various points around Plymouth Sound. These were small artillery towers intended to command the stretch of water immediately in front of them.[4]

Elizabethan works

In 1590, Sir Francis Drake was appointed to improve the defences of Plymouth. After setting up some temporary artillery batteries on the Hoe and on St Anthony's Island, (later known as Drake's Island), he requested the funds to build a permanent fort on the Hoe and in 1592, Queen Elizabeth I imposed a local tax on pilchards for the purpose. Construction of the fort, later called Drake's Fort, continued until 1596 after Drake's death.[6] The northern landward side of the fort was protected by two bastions and it enclosed the previously established batteries on the Hoe and also the Fisher's Nose Blockhouse. A further blockhouse called Queen Elizabeth's Tower was built a short distance to the west of Fisher's Nose.[7]

17th century fortifications

Mount Batten Tower

Built in 1652, Mount Batten Tower is a 30-foot high circular artillery fort dominating the Cattewater from the south, opposite Fisher's Nose.

The Royal Citadel

The Royal Citadel as seen from Mount Batten

The Royal Citadel was built from 1665 to the design of Sir Bernard de Gomme. It is a bastion fort at the eastern end of the Hoe, constructed over the site of Drake's Fort. It is still in military use, being the base of 29 Commando Regiment of the Royal Artillery, although guided tours are available during the summer.[7]

18th century fortifications

The Palmerston Forts

The entrance to Crownhill Fort; one of the fortifications recommended by the 1859 Royal Commission.

The Palmerston Forts were built as part of an arms race with France under Napoleon III and a perceived threat of invasion. Although work on some of the forts around Plymouth started in the late 1850s, most were based on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, which was established by Lord Palmerston in 1859 and reported in the following year. The forts which were actually constructed provided two lines of coastal artillery forts to defend the seaward approaches to Plymouth and the dockyard at Devonport, while a further semi-circle of forts defended the overland approaches. Note that some works are defined as "forts" and some as "batteries" without any clear distinction between the two appellations.

Sea Defences, Outer Line

Fort Bovisand's granite casemates, originally built for 9-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading guns.
Plymouth Breakwater Fort from inside the Sound

Sea Defences, Inner Line

Western Defences

North Eastern Defences

Staddon Position

Later works

Following the 1859 Royal Commission, the defences of Britain's dockyards were reviewed at intervals during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result of improved weapons and changes in tactical doctrine, a number of new fortified batteries were constructed, while older ones were either modernised or disarmed.

References

  1. ↑ Higham, Robert (editor), 1987, Security and Defence in South-West England Before 1800, University of Exeter, ISBN 0-85989-209-3 (p. 45)
  2. ↑ "Remains of Plymouth Castle, Plymouth". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Jewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William (1873), A History of Plymouth, Simpkin, Marshall & Co. (p. 649)
  4. 1 2 "TUDOR BLOCKHOUSES PLYMOUTH". www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "FISHERS NOSE BLOCKHOUSE". www.pastscape.org. Historic England. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Childs, David (2009), Tudor Sea Power: The Foundation of Greatness Seaforth Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84832-031-4 (p. 177)
  7. 1 2 "ROYAL CITADEL / DRAKE'S FORT". www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Victorian Forts". www.victorianforts.co.uk. Victorian Forts and Artillery. Retrieved 2 May 2016.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.