Martello Tower No 13, Hythe

Martello Tower, now a private residence.
Martello Towers, or 'Martellos', were small defensive forts first built in the South East of England during the Napoleonic War between 1805 and 1808. They were built throughout the British Empire, in 5 different continents, during the first half of the 19th Century. 103 in total were built around Britain, after the South East, a large number can be found in Essex, Suffolk and in Ireland.
Martello towers were inspired by a round fortress at Mortella Point in Corsica (completed 1565). In 1794 two British warships for two days unsuccessfully attacked the tower at Mortella Point. This impressed the British who copied the design for the British Martello Towers.
The round structures followed a standard plan, though varied in size. A typical South East Martello would be about 45 ft* (13.7m) in diameter at base and up to 40ft* (12m) tall. The masonry walls were built of brick and rendered with lime mortar externally, and were up to 13ft thick. Inside there were two main floors, the lower floor housing supplies and a powder store, and the first floor the men's quarters and officer's quarters. A single Martello housed between 15 and 25 men; a garrison of up to 24 men and 1 officer. The internal floor area of both floors was 1300 sq ft.

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Source

• Text: Sharky Ward
• Photos: Steve Popple/Geograph (1), ChrisO (2)