West Martello Tower - Pembroke Dock, Wales.
N 51° 41.634 W 004° 57.597
30U E 364538 N 5728812
Fort Road, Martello Tower - One of the last to be built in the UK. Standing alongside the River Cleddau Estuary. Built in 1851 to protect the Royal Dockyard in Pembroke Dock, which is a community & town in Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
Waymark Code: WMVMY9
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/06/2017
Views: 2
South West Dock Martello Tower - Located at Fort Rd, Pembroke Dock, lying a few miles North of the County Town Pembroke.
The stone structure is over 50 feet high. When built in 1851 the tower was armed with a large 32 pounder cannon mounted on the roof, & a few smaller cannons, they were removed during decommissioning in 1881.
The Martello Tower has had several uses since 1881 serving as an observation post in WWI, & WWII it was an Anti-Aircraft Battery.
It would appear currently that this Martello tower is privately owned, but unused.
There is a large free car park, next to the Tower.
From The Wikipedia Website on Martello Towers:
"A small number of Martello towers were also built in Wales, of which few survive. The most notable surviving towers are the two located in Pembroke Dock, which were built between 1848 and 1857 to protect the naval base there. Today, one of the towers is privately owned and is falling into disrepair. The other is located on the town's riverfront, next to the old entrance of the naval base. It has been converted into a small museum that focuses on the local history of the dock and its defences" Text Source:
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History:
"1848-51 defensive tower built by J. and C. Rigby, contractors of London, for the Board of Ordnance; one of a pair with the North East Tower at Front Street.
Surviving plans of 1861 record that the tower was begun 11/11/1848 and completed 30/5/1851. It contained a basement magazine for 50 barrels of powder, a 4520 gallon water store, and accommodation on two floors for 14 men in beds or 24 in hammocks and on the roof were one 32-pound gun on an iron traversing platform and four 12-pound brass howitzers mounted on garrison carriages. The principal purpose was to command the land rather than guard against attack from the sea. The armament appears to have been dismantled in 1881.
Exterior
Limestone ashlar, basement and two storeys. Island fort of irregular octagonal plan, the sides steeply battered with heavy bull-nose moulding under high parapet pierced with gun loops on E, SE, and S sides. Windows are small and doubled as gun-loops, camber headed with raised shouldered surrounds and voussoirs, and over each is a smaller horizontal opening in thin raised surround, for smoke ventilation. E side has recessed parabolic arch breaking cornice with rusticated voussoirs above. To lower floor left is iron door in granite rusticated frame with keystone inscribed: 'VR 1851'; window to right and similar window above, both with horizontal vents over. Iron hoist bracket between floors. Broad chamfered windowless NE angle, narrower SE angle with two square gun-ports. S side is similar to E, parabolic arched recess with two horizontal gun ports. N side, W side and SW angle are all narrower with window and vent on each floor. W side obscured by affixed navigation marker." Text Source: (
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