IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Manor Road, FELIXSTOWE, IP11 2EJ

Terrace houses along Manor Terrace Felixstowe Suffolk.

I presume that this square bit of grassed-over area belongs to the Martello Tower seen in the background, which originally would have been surrounded by a high cast-iron fence that has almost completely disappeared by now. Small concrete and tiled hardstandings, perhaps hut bases, can be seen dotted about, much overgrown. The paths traversing it serve as shortcuts for walkers who are trying to reach the esplanade and the beach beyond by the shortest possible route.

The fence would once have surrounded the Martello tower seen in the background. Now only short sections of it are left standing. Martello towers are small defensive forts built during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high and have two floors, commonly housing a garrison comprising one officer and 15 to 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 piece which was mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. With the introduction of powerful rifled artillery they became obsolete but many have survived, sometimes converted into private dwellings, housing a museum or used by the coastguard, such as this one. Many are preserved as historic monuments.

Martello towers are small defensive forts built during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high and have two floors, commonly housing a garrison comprising one officer and 15 to 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 piece which was mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. With the introduction of powerful rifled artillery they became obsolete but many have survived, sometimes converted into private dwellings, housing a museum or used by the coastguard, such as this one. Many are preserved as historic monuments.

Martello towers are small defensive forts built during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high and have two floors, commonly housing a garrison comprising one officer and 15 to 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 piece which was mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. With the introduction of powerful rifled artillery they became obsolete but many have survived, sometimes converted into private dwellings, housing a museum or used by the coastguard, such as this one. Many are preserved as historic monuments.

Used by the National Coastwatch Institution to maintain a visual watch along the coastline. See also Image

Flush Bracket OSBM 2072 Felixstowe Martello Tower on W face.

The Felixstowe National Coastwatch lookout is situated in Martello Tower P between the town and Landguard Fort. The tower was formerly a Coastguard lookout which has been taken over by the National Coastwatch, a voluntary organisation set up in 1994 to restore a visual watch along UK shores after many small Coastguard stations had been closed. http://www.coastwatch-felixstowe.co.uk/