Martello tower

Martello tower

Martello tower. One of a number of battered two-storeyed circular or elliptical fortified towers built on the coasts of the British Isles from 1804 as a precaution against invasion by the French, named after Cape Mortella, Corsica, where a watch-tower of similar form was occupied by a British garrison in 1794. Good examples can be seen on the Suffolk coast between Aldeburgh and Bawdsey. Most were constructed under the direction of General William Twiss (1745–1827) and a Captain Ford.

Bibliography

Sutcliffe (1973)

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Martello tower." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Martello tower." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-Martellotower.html

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Martello tower." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-Martellotower.html

Learn more about citation styles

Martello tower

Martello tower any of numerous small circular forts that were erected for defence purposes along the SE coasts of England during the Napoleonic Wars. The name comes from Cape Mortella in Corsica, site of a small circular fort which was recaptured with some difficulty by the English fleet on 8 February 1794; its design was then used as a basis for fortifications in the British Isles from 1804.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Martello tower." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Martello tower." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Martellotower.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Martello tower." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Martellotower.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Bewitched by tower power? Martello towers have long fascinated those seeking...
Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 4/2/2004
Home Life: Exchange & Martello; Guy puts historic tower up for sale.(Features)
Newspaper article from: The Mirror (London, England); 12/16/2000
MARTELLO TOWER FETCHES [pounds sterling]285,000.
Newspaper article from: Eastbourne Herald (Eastbourne, England); 4/15/2004

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of Martello tower