2006
TR1533 : Martello Towers behind the firing range at Hythe
taken 18 years ago, near to Hythe, Kent, England
Martello Towers behind the firing range at Hythe
Martello Tower No. 14 with No. 15 in the distance behind the firing range. In total 74 towers were built in 1805 stretching from Folkestone to Seaford near Eastbourne. They were designed as a defence against possible invasion by Napoleon. The walls were up to 13ft thick and each tower held 24 men and had a huge cannon mounted on the top. The name came from a similar tower at Mortella Point in Corsica which the Navy captured from the French. Although never needed for their original purpose they were later used to combat smuggling and also as signalling stations and coastal defences during the two world wars. These two in Hythe are still in fairly good condition, others have been destroyed for development, some lay in ruins and a few have even been turned into houses.
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Geograph (Third Visitor for TR1533)
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