Dartmouth Castle

#2810 among destinations in the United Kingdom

Forts and castles

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Facts and practical information

Dartmouth Castle is an artillery fort, built to protect Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 1380s, when, in response to the threat of a French attack, the civic authorities created a small enclosure castle overlooking the mouth of the Dart estuary. This was intended to engage enemy ships with catapults and possibly early cannon, and incorporated the local chapel of Saint Petroc within its walls. At the end of the 15th century, the castle was expanded with an artillery tower and an iron chain which could be stretched across the harbour to a tower at Godmerock; this addition formed the oldest known purpose-built coast artillery fort in Britain. Further gun batteries were added during the French invasion scare of the 1540s. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 50°20'31"N, 3°34'6"W

Location

EnglandUnited Kingdom

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Day trips

Dartmouth Castle – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Dartmouth Museum, Bayard's Cove Fort, Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas Newcomen Engine.

0.8 miNW
Specialty museum, Museum, Historical place
Dartmouth Museum, Dartmouth
21 min walk • Dartmouth Museum is a local museum in Dartmouth, Devon, which displays and chronicles the history of the port of Dartmouth. It moved to its current location in the 1950s and is housed in a merchant's house which, in 1671, entertained Charles II and where he held court during a storm which forced him to stay in the port.
0.6 miNW
Historical place, Forts and castles
Bayard's Cove Fort, Dartmouth
15 min walk • Bayard's Cove Fort, also known historically as Berescove or Bearscore Castle, is an English 16th-century artillery blockhouse, built to defend the harbour entrance at Dartmouth in Devon.
0.5 miNW
Church
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Dartmouth
13 min walk • The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury is situated in the village of Kingswear in the English county of Devon, it stands in a slightly elevated position at the junction of Higher Street and Church Hill close to the railway station and the Dartmouth Lower Ferry and overlooks the River Dart.
0.8 miNW
Specialty museum, Museum, Science museum
Thomas Newcomen Engine, Dartmouth
22 min walk • The Newcomen Memorial Engine is a preserved beam engine in Dartmouth, Devon. It was preserved as a memorial to Thomas Newcomen, inventor of the beam engine, who was born in Dartmouth.
1.1 miE
Tower
The Daymark, South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
29 min walk • A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight. The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that is attached to a day beacon or other aid to navigation.
0.8 miNW
Harbor
Dartmouth Harbour, Dartmouth
21 min walk • Dartmouth Harbour is a natural port located in Dartmouth, Devon, England. It is situated at the mouth of the River Dart on the English Channel. Bayard's Cove Fort is a small fort, which was built to defend the harbour's entrance.
0.6 miN
50°21'4"N • 3°34'5"W
Darthaven Marina, Dartmouth
16 min walk • Sailing, Park, Marina
~600 ftE
14th-century fortress with estuary views
Dartmouth Castle, Dartmouth
3 min walk • Dartmouth Castle is an artillery fort, built to protect Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 1380s, when, in response to the threat of a French attack, the civic authorities created a small enclosure castle overlooking the mouth of the Dart estuary.
0.8 miNW
50°21'4"N • 3°34'44"W
St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth
21 min walk • Church
0.5 miNW
Archaeological site
Dartmouth Lower Ferry, Dartmouth
14 min walk • The Dartmouth Lower Ferry is a vehicular and passenger ferry which crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmouth to Kingswear, the others being the Higher Ferry and the Passenger Ferry.
1.1 miN
Archaeological site
Dartmouth Higher Ferry, Dartmouth
30 min walk • The Dartmouth Higher Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth–Kingswear Floating Bridge, is a vehicular cable ferry which crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon.