Kingswear Castle

In the civil parish of Kingswear.
In the historic county of Devon (Modern Authority of Devon, 1974 county of Devon).

Blockhouse for the defence of Dartmouth Harbour, converted into summer residence. Built in 1491 to 1502 as part of the defences at entrance to Dartmouth harbour on the east side and with Dartmouth Castle on the west side of the estuary. Slate rubble with red sandstone dressings. Square on plan with slightly battered walls. Corbelled embattled parapet, stepped up to higherlevel on north side. North side has chamfered two-centred arch doorway and corbelled machicolations above, and an octagonal stair turret to right on north west corner, with battlements, small four-centred arch windows at top and loops below. On the other sides four- centred head openings and loops at high level and square openings below with relieving arches. Low circular detached tower to north west with corbelled embattled parapet, openings with cambered arches, and round stair turret on south east side also with corbelled parapet with battlements. C20 concrete accretions linking it to main building. There was a fort on the Dartmouth side of the harbour mouth as early as 1388 but the existing Dartmouth Castle was begun in 1481 and most of the surviving work is of 1488-94. By the mid C17 the long range guns installed at Dartmouth Castle made Kingswear Castle obsolete and it was abandoned. But it was held by Sir Henry Cary for the King during the Civil War and captured in 1646 by Sir Thomas Fairfax. Further defences for Kingswear were built by the Royalists in the form of the redoubt immediately above the town. Kingswear Castle was converted into a summer residence (for Major Charles Seale- Hayne) in 1855 by T Lidston, architect, and it is still used for this purpose. Now owned by Landmark Trust and available to rent.

This site has been described as a;
Artillery Fort.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX89105027

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 446023, 446057

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/kingswear/kingswear.php
    http://britannia.com/history/devon/castles/dartmouthcast.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/202/kingswearcastle.htm
• Books
  • Duffy, Michael, 1999, 'Coastal Defences and Garrisons 1480-1914' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p158-60
    Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p67
    Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p43, 117
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p59
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p116
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p95-6
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p355
    Lysons, D. and S., 1822, Magna Britannia Vol6 Devon p. cccxlv-cccxlviii [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=406]
• Journal Articles
  • 1990 Feb, Fortress Vol4 p4-5
    Russell and Yorke, 1953, Devonshire Association reports and transactions Vol85 p72-3
    O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1936, 'Dartmouth Castle and other defences of Dartmouth Haven' Archaeologia Vol85 p129-59 esp p136, plates xxxvi, xxxvii, xlii
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cornwalleng.html#devon6]