Sandown Castle, Kent

Has been described as a Certain Artillery Fort

There are masonry footings remains

NameSandown Castle, Kent
Alternative NamesSandowne; Sandon
Historic CountryKent
Modern AuthorityKent
1974 AuthorityKent
Civil ParishDeal

Sandown Castle, a Henrician artillery castle, was built in 1539-40 by Henry VIII as part of his chain of coastal defences in response to the growing threat of invasion at that time. The castle, which was designed to resemble a Tudor rose, was built, along with Deal and Walmer Castles, to protect the good landing grounds and strategic anchorage between the Goodwin Sands and the coast, an area known as the Downs. A series of bulwarks or earthen defences, were also built along the coast between the three castles. The castle was in a ruinous state by the late 17th century and the sea had breached the moat walls by 1785. The castle was repaired in 1808 and it was garrisoned in the Napoleonic Wars. However, in 1863 it was sold by the War Office as building material and by 1882 the castle had been largely demolished. Although most of Sandown Castle has been destroyed there exist a number of early plans and views which provide information on how its original form. It was identical to Walmer Castle with a circular keep surrounded by four bastions separated by an inner moat and surrounded by an external moat. The entrance was by a drawbridge on the landward side. The outer bastions were massive structures each with a gun room at ground level and a gun-platform on the roof to mount artillery on. The moat was protected by a fourth tier of hand-guns which were situated on a gallery which ran around the whole castle at basement level. There were 39 gun-ports for heavy armaments and 39 hand-gun loops to control the moat. Today all that remains of Sandown Castle is part of the west side of the castle including bastions and a section of the central tower

Remains of the castle have been incorporated into the sea defences. (PastScape)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTR375543
Latitude51.2384300231934
Longitude1.40222001075745
Eastings637590
Northings154300
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Calculate Print

Books

  • Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 (Yale University Press) p. 420-1
  • Harrington, Peter, 2007, The Castles of Henry VIII (Oxford: Osprey)
  • Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 70
  • Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p. 46, 47
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 133 (slight)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 234
  • Newman, John, 1983, Buildings of England: North east and east Kent (Harmondsworth) p. 283
  • Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol. 4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p. 369, 393, 4004-5, 457, 461-5
  • Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
  • Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
  • Morley, B.M., 1976, Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence (London) p. 27
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Sands, Harold, 1907, 'Some Kentish Castles' in Ditchfield and Clinch, Memorials of Old Kent (London) p. 210-12 online copy
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 1 p. 38-40 online copy
  • Elvin, 1890, Records of Walmer (London) intermittently between p. 157-226
  • Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol. 1 (London) p. 326-7 online copy
  • Hasted, Edward, 1800 (2edn), The history and topographical survey of the county of Kent Vol. 10 p. 1-23 online transcription
  • Buck, Samuel and Nathaniel, 1774, Buck's Antiquities (London) Vol. 1 p. 142

Antiquarian

Journals

  • the editor, 1980, 'Sandown Castle badly damaged during seawall construction' Kent Archaeological review Vol. 59 p. 220
  • Shelby, Lon R., 1969, 'Guines Castle and the Development of English Bastioned Fortifications' Château Gaillard Vol. 3 p. 139-43
  • Oswald, A., 1940, Country Life Vol. 88 p. 190-4
  • Rutton, W.L., 1898, 'Henry VIII's Castles at Sandown, Deal, Walmer, Sandgate, and Camber' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. 23 p. 24-30 online copy
  • Lewis, T.H., 1884, 'The castles of Sandown and Sandgate' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol. 40 p. 173-8 online copy

Primary Sources

Other

  • English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 South East (London: English Heritage) p. 51 online copy
  • Kent County Council, December 2004, Kent Historic Towns Survey (Kent County Council and English Heritage) view online copy