If you don’t know, a Martello tower is a small, round, defensive fort and there are 10 surviving Sussex Martello towers. They were built in the 19th century to defend the south coast against the threat of invasion by Napoleonic forces in a line along the coasts of East Sussex, Kent, Essex and Suffolk. With three levels, the ground floor was for storage, the first floor was for the garrison and the gun platform was on the roof.
They are named after Mortella Point in Corsica. 103 Martello towers were built between 1804 and 1812 and about 43 still stand. The towers of the south coast were numbered 1-74 from east to west and there were 47 East Sussex Martello towers built between Rye and Seaford. Of the original 74 towers on the south coast, 26 now survive, and of the 29 on the east coast, 17 now survive.
However, the invasion didn’t happen, defensive strategy moved on and many of the Martello towers were abandoned and even demolished, although some were use in WWII. As an additional point of interest, at the time the Martello towers were built, three large, circular gun towers known as redoubts were also built at Dymchurch, Eastbourne and Harwich.
The Martello tower trail
If you like nothing better than a quirky bit of architecture, a slice of history and a good reason to go exploring, set aside a day for a Sussex Martello towers trail. Some of them stand empty, some have been converted into private houses and one is now a museum.
Start in Rye Harbour
Make your way to Rye Harbour to find our first Sussex Martello tower, number 28, also called the Enchantress. No.28 was the first tower in Sussex and sits in a moat. At one time, it was occupied by coastguards who had previously lived on board an old naval vessel on the banks of the Rother called Enchantress.
These days it is unoccupied but has had a haircut since this photo. If you have time, visit the Rye Harbour visitor centre and walk along the river towards the sea and you’ll find a WWII pillbox.
Number 30 is not far away. Head up Harbour Road to New Winchelsea Road and it’s up Martello Close. You cannot get very close and it is currently covered in ivy and unoccupied.
Norman’s and Pevensey Bay
Head down the coast to just west of Bexhill, where you’ll find a series of five towers spread over a distance of about 5 km. The first is number 55 at Norman’s Bay. It was once used for both semaphore communication and wireless telegraphy, and then as a Battery Observation Post during World War II. It’s now privately owned.
Tower number 60 is 3 km west along the coast and set back a few streets from the beach. In 1886 it was owned by the War Office and occupied by the Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers. In 1956 the Martello tower was purchased by the Air Ministry. It was bought in 1984 for £22,000 and turned into a private home.
Number 61 is only half a kilometre further down the coast and is also set back from the beach in a residential area. This tower was refortified in 1940, and became a Battery Observation Post. However, it’s been a private house for some decades now.
Walk on another half kilometre to tower number 62 which is in a caravan park. It is a private residence or holiday home and looks like it has been recently refurbished.
There is one more Martello tower on this stretch of beach, number 64, a little under a kilometre on towards Eastbourne at The Crumbles. This was also used in WWII. An application to turn this into residential/a holiday home is currently pending.
Sovereign Harbour to Eastbourne
You can walk around Sovereign Harbour to the next tower and it’s about 2.5 km. Alternatively, hop in the car or on a bus. Tower 66 is on Langley Point right at the tip of Sovereign Harbour. It stands empty although you can walk right up to it. An application to turn this into residential/a holiday home is currently pending.
In between number 66 and number 73 is the Redoubt Fortress. Built in 1805, it is a fantastic example of a British Napoleonic-era fortress, with 24 bomb-proof vaulted chambers built into a circular, brick-built structure. It was connected to a colonnade which was constructed in 1934 however it is currently closed to the public for repairs. There is great hope that it will reopen.
Tower 73 is known as the Wish Tower and is owned by an association called Wish Tower Friends. It is a short walk from Western Lawns. The area it’s in was once a natural mound, surrounded by a lower-lying marshy area known as “The Wish”. In the late 1950s, the tower was nearly demolished but it was saved and in 1970, it opened as a museum. These days it is occasionally open for tours.
Seaford
Last stop is in Seaford for tower No.74. This tower was sold by the War Office in 1880 and in 1910 it became a tea room with a roller skating rink in the moat. It even had accommodation at one point but it is now open to the public as a museum.
For one last miliary building, push on to Newhaven Fort which has recently undergone a massive refurbishment. Built in the 19th century, it was the largest defence work ever built in Sussex and is now open as a museum.
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