Little Dennis Blockhouse

Has been described as a Certain Artillery Fort

There are major building remains

NameLittle Dennis Blockhouse
Alternative Names
Historic CountryCornwall
Modern AuthorityCornwall
1974 AuthorityCornwall
Civil ParishFalmouth

Blockhouse, built 1544-46 as part of coastal defences that include Pendennis Castle. Now roofless. Killas rubble with granite dressings, built into bedrock on the landward side; curved merlons to battlements on seaward side; roofless, originally lead; rubble stack beside staircase. D-shaped plan with very thick walls; slightly-projecting stair turret to one corner, doorway recessed to other corner. 4-centred arched doorway; the main gun port with flanking openings facing across the estuary and another gun port facing out to sea. INTERIOR: chamfered flat-headed fireplace; to the opposite wall a large 4-centred arch to splayed and ribbed gun station, with a blocked smoke vent above; a smaller gun station at right angles to this; the drum of newel stair left of the fireplace; large beam sockets and a coped parapet walk. (Listed Building Report)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

This is a Grade 1 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 ReferenceSW827315
Latitude50.1440696716309
Longitude-5.04209995269775
Eastings182740
Northings31540
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
Copyright Tim Green and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons license.View full Sized Image
Copyright Tim Green and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons license.View full Sized Image

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Books

  • (see Pendennis bibliography - usually considered as part of this fort complex)
  • Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 27
  • Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p. 49, 55
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 19
  • Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 74
  • Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles)
  • Price, M. and H., 1980, Castles of Cornwall (Bossiney Books) p. 34
  • Lysons, D. and S., 1814, Magna Britannia Vol. 3 Cornwall online transcription
  • Polwhele, R., 1803, History of Cornwall
  • Norden, J., 1728, Speculi Britanniae Pars
  • Lilly, C., 1715, An Exact Plan of Pendennis Fort

Journals

  • Jenkins, Stanley, 1997, 'Pendennis Castle, Cornwall' Fort Vol. 25 p. 207
  • Harris, D. and Andrew, J., 1985, 'An Ancient Wall at Pendennis Point, Falmouth' Cornish Archaeology Hendhyscans Kernow Vol. 24 p. 183-4 online copy

Other

  • Graeme Kirkham, May 2005, Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey: Falmouth (Cornwall County Council) Download copy