Fowey Blockhouse

Has been described as a Certain Artillery Fort, and also as a Certain Chain Tower

There are major building remains

NameFowey Blockhouse
Alternative NamesFowey Castle
Historic CountryCornwall
Modern AuthorityCornwall
1974 AuthorityCornwall
Civil ParishFowey

at the entry of the haven on the west syd is a blokke howse and a chapel of S. Catarine be the same. Also ther is on the same syd a towre with ordenans for defens of the haven. (Leland)

Boom tower survives as a ruined three storied rectangular building, built into the side of the cliff which forms the bank of the River Fowey, and is located opposite another chain tower Polruan Blockhouse. The structure is roofless and is constructed of local slate, with three walls surviving, the south east wall having collapsed at some time in the past. The chain tower was probably built in response to a raid on the town of Fowey by the French in 1457. Leland states that the tower was built during the reign of Edward IV. The two boom towers were designed to have a chain laid across the river between them which could be raised to prevent enemy shipping reaching the town of Fowey. Advances in artillery made the tower obsolete and it was superseded by St Catherine's Castle in the 1520s. (PastScape)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSX121513
Latitude50.3319282531738
Longitude-4.64045000076294
Eastings212170
Northings51330
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Purton, P.F., 2009, A History of the Late Medieval Siege: 1200-1500 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press) p. 374
  • Harrington, Peter, 2007, The Castles of Henry VIII (Oxford: Osprey) p. 10 (mention)
  • Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p. 136-43
  • Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 20
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 18
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 73
  • Henderson, Charles (edited by Rowse, A.L. and Henderson, M.I.), 1963 (original written 1935), Essays in Cornish history (Clarendon Press) p. 35
  • Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p. 112
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 3 online copy
  • Lysons, D. and S., 1814, Magna Britannia Vol. 3 Cornwall online transcription
  • Buck, Samuel and Nathaniel, 1774, Buck's Antiquities (London) Vol. 1 p. 23
  • Grose, Francis, 1787, Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol. 8 p. 16-21 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 76, 77, 86
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 204 online copy

Journals

  • Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 138 p. 214-15
  • Whitley, H.M., 1883-5, 'Cornwall and the Spanish Armada' Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall Vol. 8 p. 150 online copy