Another Martello Ticked Off

On a bitterly cold December day in 2011, I ventured East to Felixstowe's Landguard Common and its namesake Palmerston era Landguard Fort. Nearby is Martello Tower 'P', one of the four remaining Martellos that guarded the once important anchorage and harbour of Harwich.

It is an interesting, tightly bounded area, hemmed in by the sea on three sides, the modern port of Felixstowe on the fourth, and capped by an oddly located caravan site. Part of the common is a seasonal nature reserve, but it mostly owes its existence in its current form to the presence of the defensive works sited there for almost 400 years.

The main section of Landguard Fort consists of casemates for 7 guns facing into the estuary, backed by brick and earth walls, magazines and covered accommodation, and surrounded by ditches with caponiers. Many of the latter have either simply been filled in, or have been built over by the large Edwardian battery which faces out sea. In addition to the 1900 extension, WWII added anti-invasion defenses and a range of protected harbour control installations.