Photo Charles Taylor

Originally 103 towers were built between 1805 and 1812 to resist a potential invasion by Napoleon. They were built of brick, 13 foot thick on the seaward side, stood about 30 foot high and were equipped with a cannon on the roof. 74 were built along the Kent and Sussex coastlines from Folkstone to Seaford between 1805 and 1808, the other 29 to protect Essex and Suffolk.

45 of the towers still remain, but many are in ruins or have been converted, so only 9 remain in their original condition. Two supporting forts were built on the south coast at Dymchurch and Eastbourne.

The tower at Dymchurch (No. 24) has been fully restored and is now a museum.

Folkestone to Sandgate towers (1 to 8).

 

Sandgate to Hythe towers (10 to 15).

 

Military Canal.

 

Hythe to Dymchurch towers (19 to 25).

 

Dymchurch Redoubt.

 

Rye to Pevensey towers (28 to 55).

 

Pevensey towers (60 to 66).

 

Eastbourne Redoubt.

 

Eastbourne towers (73 to 74).

Martello	Location	Description
Martello No. 1	Folkestone	Being converted to a house (2003)
Martello No. 2	Folkestone	Converted to a house, best seen from the top of No3. Now a holiday letting.
Martello No. 3	Folkestone	Now used as a Visitor Centre
Martello No. 4	Folkestone	Private, unused and overgrown
Martello No. 5	Sandgate	Private, in school grounds
Martello No. 6	Sandgate	Private, unused and overgrown
Martello No. 7	Sandgate	Private, unused and overgrown
Sandgate Martello	Sandgate	The modified keep of Sandgate Castle
Martello No. 8	Sandgate	Converted to a house
Martello No. 9	Hythe	Private, unused and overgrown
Martellos No. 10 - 12	Hythe	Demolished
Martello No. 13	Hythe	Converted to a house
Martello No. 14	Hythe	Private, in good condition, on army firing range
Martello No. 15	Hythe	Private, in good condition, on army firing range
Military Canal	Hythe to Rye	Canal 30 foot wide and 28 miles in length along the boundary of Romney Marsh. Still in good condition.
Martello No. 16	Hythe	Demolished by the sea
Martello No. 17 - 18	Hythe	Demolished
Martello No. 19	Hythe	Partially demolished by the sea
Martello No. 20 - 22	Dymchurch	Demolished
Dymchurch Redoubt	Dymchurch	Built 1806, on army firing range
Martello No. 23	Dymchurch	Converted to a house
Martello No. 24	Dymchurch	Open April - October (weekends), English Heritage
Martello No. 25	Dymchurch	Unused
Martello No. 26 - 27	Dymchurch	Demolished
Martello No. 28	Rye	Unused and rather overgrown, near the harbour.
Martello No. 29	Rye	Demolished by the sea
Martello No. 30	Rye	Unused, overgrown in a back garden. Private.
Martello No. 31 - 54	Rye to Bexhill	Demolished, or washed away by the sea
Martello No. 55	Norman's Bay	Restored
Martello No. 56 - 59	Norman's Bay to Pevensey	Demolished, or washed away by the sea
Martello No. 60	Pevensey	Converted to a house
Martello No. 61	Pevensey	Unused
Martello No. 62	Pevensey	Converted to a house
Martello No. 64	Pevensey	Unused. Photo © Oast House Archive and licensed for reuse under cc-by-sa/2.0
Martello No. 65	Pevensey	Demolished by the sea
Martello No. 66	Eastbourne	Unused. Photo © Oast House Archive and licensed for reuse under cc-by-sa/2.0
Martello No. 67 - 72	Eastbourne	Demolished, or washed away by the sea
Eastbourne Redoubt	Eastbourne	In use until after World War 2, it is now owned by the Council and is open summer weekends.
Martello No. 73	Eastbourne	The Wish Tower, being restored by Wish Tower Friends. Set in public gardens owned by the Council.
Martello No. 74	Seaford	Open to public