Kingswear Castle

Kingswear Castle stands on the east bank of the River Dart in Devon, guarding the entrance to Dartmouth harbour. Built between 1491 and 1502 as an artillery fort, it was one of the first purpose-built gun towers in Britain. The three-storey slate tower has red sandstone details and large rectangular gun-ports on the ground floor. Its guns covered the harbour entrance and the anchorage below. By the late 16th century improved artillery made the castle less useful, and it was no longer regularly manned. The castle played a part in the English Civil War. In 1643 Royalist forces captured it, and in 1646 Parliament’s army retaking Dartmouth seized Kingswear from the defending sheriff. After the war the roof was rebuilt in lead and guns were mounted on top. By the 18th century the castle had fallen into ruin, though a few small guns remained in place until 1717. In 1855 it was turned into a summer house with a new conical roof and a round tower added. During the Second World War the site was reinforced with a concrete blockhouse. Later it became a private home before being bought by The Landmark Trust, which restored the ground floor and now lets it as a holiday cottage. The castle is protected as a Grade I listed building and still shows its original gun-ports and garrison rooms.