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Monument details

HER Number:TR 23 NW 444
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:SANDGATE CASTLE

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1539 to 1975 Sandgate Castle was one of the coastal forts erected by Henry VIII in 1539-40. It was reportedly the only one that was not used to defend a harbour or an anchorage; instead it commanded the beach and the coast road to Dover. It was constructed in 1539-40 to the design of Stefan von Haschenperg. The castle was dis-established in 1553 but returned to the Crown's possession by 1557 and floors and roofs were renewed. By the end of the 1560s the castle was again derelict though a large gun platform for ten cannon had replaced the southern bastion by 1616. The keep was re-roofed and the seaward battery rebuilt in 1715-16. In 1805, the remains of the castle were brought into the scheme to defend the coasts with gun-towers during the Napoleonic threat. The roofs of the keep, the bastions and the gatehouse were swept away and the bastions and the entire inner curtain were reduced to first-floor level with the rubble used to fill the outer ward of the castle to form an esplanade. By 1808 the central tower had been transformed into a version of a Martello tower. It also had eight guns mounted on the seaward side of the outer curtain and a single 24 pdr was mounted on the roof of the central tower. In 1859, the castle was re-equipped with eight new guns - 68 and 32pdrs - one being positioned on the roof of the central tower. A large magazine was built under the esplanade to the south of the gatehouse. The castle walls had been breached by the sea prior to 1725 and then in the 1870s. The southern side was undermined in 1928 and there was further erosion before the building of the seawall in the early 1950s. About a third of the original castle has been destroyed.


Grid Reference:TR 20682 35172
Map Sheet:TR23NW
Parish:SANDGATE, SHEPWAY, KENT

Monument Types

  • ARTILLERY FORT (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1539 AD to 1716 AD)
  • CASTLE (Medieval to Modern - 1539 AD to 2050 AD)
  • COASTAL BATTERY (Post Medieval to Modern - 1715 AD to 2050 AD)
  • MAGAZINE (Post Medieval - 1857 AD to 1859 AD)
  • PILLBOX (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1005171: Sandgate Castle, Folkestone; Listed Building (I) 1061237: SANDGATE CASTLE

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5281 CASTIE ROAD (South Side) SANDGATE Sandgate Castle TR 2035 SE 7/20 5.12.49. GV 2. In private ownership. Built in 1539-1540 at the same time and as part of the same series of defences as Sandown, Deal and Walmer Castles, but altered again for defence purposes in 1805. It originally comprised a large central tower surrounded by 3 smaller towers connected with each other by a curtain wall and covered galleries, with an outer curtain wall and gate-tower on the north and a rectangular building connecting the latter to the central tower. In 1805 the tops of the towers were removed (the central tower being converted into a Martello tower) and the materials used to fill up the space between tile inner and outer walls. Most of the outer wall is missing on the south side, presumably destroyed during the 1939-45 was, and modern pill-boxes have been constructed in the place of part of it. AM.
No 2, Sandgate Castle, The Hermitage, York Cottage, Gatepieris to the White Lodge form a group with Nos 12 to 16 (even) and Gatepiers to Nos 12 to 16 (even). (No 2 and Nos 12 to 16 (even) and Gatepiers to Nos 12 to 16 (even) being buildings of local interest.
Listing NGR: TR2075635215

Description from record TR 23 NW 13:
(TR 20683517) Castle (NR) (1) Sandgate Castle, built 1539-40, is now a private house. The tops of the towers were removed in 1805 and the central tower was converted into a Martello tower. Most of the outer wall on the south side was destroyed 1939-45. Scheduled. (2,3) See GPs. AO/64/12/3-6. (4) 5281 Sandgate Castle, Castle Road (South Side) Sandgate. TR 2035 SE 7/20 5 12 49. Listed Grade I In private ownership. Built in 1539-1540 at the same time and as partof the same series of defences as Sandown, Deal and Walmer Castles, but altered again for defence purposes in 1805. It originally comprised a large central tower surrounded by 3 smaller towers connected with each other by a curtain wall and covered galleries, with an outer curtain wall and gate-tower on the north and a rectangular building connecting the latter to the cental tower. In 1805 the tops of the towers were removed (the central tower being coverted into a Martell tower) and the materials used to fill up the space between the inner and outer walls. Most of the outer wall is missing on the south side, presumably destroyed during the 1939-45 was, and modern pill-boxes have been constructed in the place of part of it. AM. (5) Built in 1539-1540 by Henry VIII. In late Napoleonic times, the original keep was rebuilt, and the outer works converted to form a series of gun emplacements making it a glorified Martello Tower. A new magazine was built in the late 1850s between the gatehouse and keep, and alterations made to the existing gun emplacements. Erosion before the building of the sea wall in the early 1950s accounts for the loss of a third of the original monument. (6) Henry VIII artillery-castle, unusual type, with lobed triangular ward,small triangular inner ward with three towers and a central round tower. Turned into a Martello Tower. Little of the structure remains, but the general plan can be made out. (7) Sandgate Castle, Castle Road. One of the series of castles built by Henry VIII along the south coast from Kent to Cornwall. What gives Sandgate Castle it special interest is the fact that full building accounts survive. (9,10) They show that the engineer in charge was a German, Stephan von Haschenpeng. Building operations lasted from March 1539 to October 1540 and cost in all 5,543 pounds 19shillings 2.75d. The plan is characteristic of Henry's castles, a series of concentric walls in a complex geometrical shape. In this case the shape is a triangle, with rounded corner projections and convex walls between them. little of this remains, as in 1806 the central core wasconverted into a gun-fort, the intermediate ring of walls razed and the outermost walls lowered drastically. it thus became in effect a Martello Tower. The entrance tower on the landward side was not interfered with (sic (20)). this also is quite low, but rendered virtually unassailable by its form, a semicircle, attached by a short passage to the castle itself. The doorway is hidden in the back wall. When entering, one faces nothing but gunports - not however very effective ones, for their splays would not have allowed a wide arc of fire. (8) (8,9,10,11) TR 20655320. Sandgate Castle. This Tudor castle was brought into thesouth coast tower project by Twiss who proposed throwing bomb-proof arches over some of the towers 8 x 24 pouder guns were added and the alterations completed in 1806. (12,13) A royal warrant of 15 February 1584 granted 1.000 pounds to be spent on the defence of the cinque ports of which Sandgate received the largest proportion. It was the only coastal fort built by Henry VIII that did not defend a harbour or anchorage, but was built to guard the "gate" (9,15) to the Kentish Hinterland.
A considerable part of the structure survives, but little of Tudor date is actually visible owing to the drastic remodelling of 1805-1808. Up to 1805 the castle was still essentially a Tudor building, but it had already been modified as early as 1558. During the ensuing two and a half centuries it was repaired on several occasions, notably in 1715-1716 when the keep was reroofed and the whole of the seaward battery rebuilt after being breached by the spring tides.
Originally the castle consisted of a central keep surrounded by two concentric curtains. The outer one encircled a ward or "barbican" thirty feet wide and the inner curtain was strengthened by three round towers around the keep. A fourth wing containing the gatehouse and gate passage ran north across the inner curtain, barbican and outer curtain to join the inner face of the half-moon bastion which enclosed and protected the outer gate. All these buildings were originally roofed, and levels arranged throughout the castle to provide three or possibly four tiers of heavy guns.
The keep was built from the original ground surface, the ground floor being buried and the keep entered at first floor level. The wings joining the three round towers to the keep were perhaps the most remarkable single feature of the Sandgate design and cannot be exactly matched in any other castle of the period.
The gatehouse formed a massive front in which was set at first-floor level the castle gate and perhaps portcullis.
Sandgate Castle was a centrally planned fortification with three lines of defence-outer curtain, inner curtain, keep, rising in three main tiers towards the centre. It offensive power lay in the heavy guns which could be mounted in over 60 gun-ports at four different levels. For local defence with hand-guns, there were a further 65 loops at four levels. (14)
Sandgate Castle built in 1539, according to the Italian scheme. Deep moating (18) (sic (19)) remains to this day.
The Calendar of State Papers relating to Sandgate Castle is surviving for the Tudor period. (20) (16,17,18,19,20)
In 1975 the restoration of Sandgate Castle was started by the owners Drs P and B McGregor, under the supervision and with the assthe Department of Environment. To achieve this, archaeological investigations including excavations and detailed drawings were undertaken.
In 1881 the had been sold to the South-Eastern Railway Company for a proposed station at Sandgate Village. By 1893, it passed into private ownership and was occasionally open with its museum to the public. The castle was always entered through the ground floor of the gatehouse, at the rear of the semi-circle. The gatehouse was thought to have survived in it Tudor form, but is now known to have been almost entirely rebuilt from first floor level in 1806. The ground floor is original. The outer curtain wall was largely rebuilt in 1806. The North East Bastion was also reduced to first floor level in 1806 and was capped with a vaulted dome carried on a brick pier.
The keep was transformed into a Martello Tower and was thus in stone, unlike the other martello towers. It originally was of three stories, plus roof level, but is now of two and the roof. Much of the original Tudor fabric remains. The roof of the keep is entirely a 19th century structure, and it housed two successive gun emplacements. (21)
Additional bibliography - not consulted. (22-29)

"Sandgate Castle was one of the coastal forts erected by Henry VIII in 1539-40. It was reportedly the only one that was not used to defend a harbour or an anchorage; instead it commanded the beach and the coast road to Dover. It was constructed in 1539-40 to the design of Stefan von Haschenperg. The castle was dis-established in 1553 but returned to the Crown's possession by 1557 and floors and roofs were renewed. By the end of the 1560s the castle was again derelict though a large gun platform for ten cannon had replaced the southern bastion by 1616. The keep was re-roofed and the seaward battery rebuilt in 1715-16. In 1805, the remains of the castle were brought into the scheme to defend the coasts with gun-towers during the Napoleonic threat. The roofs of the keep, the bastions and the gatehouse were swept away and the bastions and the entire inner curtain were reduced to first-floor level with the rubble used to fill the outer ward of the castle to form an esplanade. By 1808 the central tower had been transformed into a version of a Martello tower. It also had eight guns mounted on the seaward side of the outer curtain and a single 24 pdr was mounted on the roof of the central tower. In 1859, the castle was re-equipped with eight new guns - 68 and 32pdrs - one being positioned on the roof of the central tower. A large magazine was built under the esplanade to the south of the gatehouse. The castle walls had been breached by the sea prior to 1725 and then in the 1870s. The southern side was undermined in 1928 and there was further erosion before the building of the seawall in the early 1950s. About a third of the original castle has been destroyed." (32)



From the NHLE:

Summary of Monument

A Tudor artillery castle and martello tower known as Sandgate Castle, 124m south-west of St Paul’s Church
Reasons for Designation

Sandgate Castle was built as an artillery castle by Henry VIII but was altered to form a Martello tower in the early 19th century. Artillery castles were constructed as strong stone defensive structures specifically to house heavy guns. Most date from the period of Henry VIII's maritime defence programme between 1539 and 1545, though the earliest and latest examples date from 1481 and 1561 respectively. They were usually sited to protect a harbour entrance, anchorage or similar feature. These monuments represent some of the earliest structures built exclusively for the new use of artillery in warfare and can be attributed to a relatively short time span in English history. Their architecture is specific in terms of date and function and represents an important aspect of the development of defensive structures generally. Although documentary sources suggest that 36 examples originally existed, all on the east, south and south east coasts of England, only 21 survive. All examples are considered to be of national importance.

Martello towers are gun towers constructed to defend the vulnerable south eastern coast of England against the threat of ship-borne invasion by Napoleonic forces. Built as a systematic chain of defence in two phases, between 1805-1810 along the coasts of East Sussex and Kent, and between 1808-1812 along the coasts of Essex and Suffolk, the design of martello towers was based on a fortified tower at Mortella Point in Corsica which had put up a prolonged resistance to British forces in 1793. The towers take the form of compact, free-standing circular buildings on three levels built of rendered brick. The ground floor was used for storage, with accommodation for the garrison provided on the first floor, and the main gun platform on the roof. As the expected Napoleonic invasion attempt did not materialise, the defensive strength of the martello tower system was never tested, and the tower design was soon rendered obsolete by new developments in heavy artillery. Many were abandoned and fell into decay or were demolished although a few saw use as look out points or gun emplacements during the two World Wars.

Despite later alterations and damage, the Tudor artillery castle and martello tower known as Sandgate Castle survives well. The castle is well recorded in documentary sources, such as building accounts, which increases our understanding of the site and enhances its importance. It is a unique example of a Henrician fortification built not to defend a harbour or anchorage but to protect the beach and coast road of this part of Kent. The conversion of the castle into a Martello tower is unusual and, along with its use during the Second World War, adds to its interest as a site of continued strategic significance. It is testament to the provisions carried out to defend England from some of the most serious invasion threats of the country’s history.
History

See Details
Details

This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a Tudor artillery castle and later martello tower surviving as upstanding and buried remains. It is situated on the sea front, south of Castle Road at Sandgate.

The artillery castle was built by Henry VIII and includes a two-storey circular central tower or keep surrounded by two curtain walls surviving as upstanding remains. The southern upstanding part of the castle has been largely destroyed but will survive as buried remains including foundations. The inner curtain wall originally formed a triangular ward and had three round towers. The two northern towers are visible as upstanding remains; that to the north-east surviving most intact. The outer curtain wall also formed a triangular ward and has rounded corner projections and convex walls between them. On the northern side is a semi-circular gatehouse connected to the curtain wall by a rectangular passage, the doorway to which is hidden in the back wall. The castle rises progressively towards the centre to provide several tiers of heavy guns. The guns would have been positioned behind the embrasures or gun-ports, although local defence was also provided through numerous gun-loops for hand guns. The castle was heavily altered and partly rebuilt in the early 19th century. The tops of the towers were reduced and the central keep or tower, which originally contained three stories, was reduced to two stories high and converted into a Martello tower. The rubble was used to fill the outer ward of the castle to form an esplanade. The site was refortified with pillboxes during the Second World War. The remains of these pillboxes are included in the scheduling.

Sandgate Castle was built as part of a chain of coastal defences by Henry VIII. The castle is well recorded in documentary sources and full building accounts survive from the Tudor period. It was constructed in 1539-40 to the design of Stefan von Haschenperg. The castle is unusual in that it was not used to defend a harbour or anchorage but instead commanded the beach and coast road to Dover. In 1557 the floors and roofs were renewed and by 1616 a large gun platform for ten cannon had replaced the southern bastion. In 1715-16 the keep was re-roofed and the seaward battery rebuilt following damage by the spring tides. In 1805 it was brought into the scheme to defend the coasts with Martello towers against the threat of Napoleonic Invasion. Eight guns were mounted on the seaward side of the outer curtain and a single 24 pounder gun was mounted on the roof of the keep. A large magazine was built under the esplanade to the south of the gatehouse. The site was partially excavated in 1976-9 as part of a restoration programme.

The upstanding remains are Grade I listed.(33-34)

Photograph (35-41)


<1> OS 25" 1958 (OS Card Reference). SKE48274.

<2> MHLG (1118/11/A/ May 1948) (OS Card Reference). SKE46914.

<3> AM Eng & Wales 1958 59 (OS Card Reference). SKE33006.

<4> F1 CFW 28.04.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42790.

<5> DOE (HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 11 Mar 1975 9 (OS Card Reference). SKE40341.

<6> DOE (IAM) record form 3 Nov 1986 (OS Card Reference). SKE40746.

<7> Castellarum Anglicanum 1 1983 233-234 (D J Cathcart King) (OS Card Reference). SKE38617.

<8> Blgs of Eng NE & E Kent 1980 445 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38183.

<9> Arch Cant 20 1893 228-257 illus (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34817.

<10> JBAA 40 1884 173-178 plan (T H Lewis) (OS Card Reference). SKE44968.

<11> Arch 91 1945 137-155 illus (B H St J O'Neil) (OS Card Reference). SKE34467.

<12> Martello Towers 1972 87 (S Sutcliffe) (OS Card Reference). SKE46558.

<13> Handbook of Kent's Def 1540-1945 1977 9 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE43664.

<14> Hist King's Works 4 (H Colvin) 1485-1660 2 1982 370 371 404 405 569-587 plan (M Biddle) (OS Card Reference). SKE43904.

<15> Arch J 123 1966 139 (A D Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE36536.

<16> The Eng Castle 1936 110 (H Braun) (OS Card Reference). SKE50336.

<17> Chateau Gaillard 3 1969 142 (L R Shelby) (OS Card Reference). SKE38949.

<18> VCH 1 1908 44 (I C Gould) (OS Card Reference). SKE50797.

<19> Arch Cant 23 1898 24-30 plan (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34859.

<20> Arch Cant 21 1895 244-259 (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34825.

<21> Post Md Arch 14 1980 53-88 illus (E C Harris) (OS Card Reference). SKE48533.

<22> Ants of Eng & Wales 8 1787 100-101 (F Grose) (OS Card Reference). SKE33306.

<23> Castles of Eng 1 1897 38 (J D Mackenzie) (OS Card Reference). SKE38626.

<24> Country Life 10 238 32 (OS Card Reference). SKE39373.

<25> Country Life 88 190-194 (OS Card Reference). SKE39458.

<26> Buck's Ant 1 1774 141 (S & N Buck) (OS Card Reference). SKE38400.

<27> Hist & Topo Survey of Co of Kent 3 381-382 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE43766.

<28> Castles & Cannon Study Early Artillery Fortification in Eng 1960 60 (B H St J O'Neil) (OS Card Reference). SKE38621.

<29> Henry VIII & the Development of Coastal Defence 1976 28-29 (B M Morley) (OS Card Reference). SKE43757.

<30> Field report for monument TR 23 NW 13 - April, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5599.

<31> [SANDGATE CASTLE] (Collection). SKE6549.

<32> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage (Unpublished document). SKE6956.

<33> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<34> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<35> VIEW OF SANDGATE CASTLE AT FOLKESTONE (Photograph). SKE1404.

<36> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST. (Photograph). SKE1405.

<37> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. VIEW OF OUTER WALL AND KEEP LOOKING NWW. (Photograph). SKE1407.

<38> Harris, E C: Sandgate Castle, Kent (Collection). SKE6476.

<39> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST. (Photograph). SKE1406.

<40> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE - PLAN (1725) (Photograph). SKE1403.

<41> PLAN OF SANDGATE CASTLE IN FOLKESTONE FROM 1725 (Photograph). SKE1402.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 25" 1958.
<2>OS Card Reference: MHLG (1118/11/A/ May 1948).
<3>OS Card Reference: AM Eng & Wales 1958 59.
<4>OS Card Reference: F1 CFW 28.04.64.
<5>OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 11 Mar 1975 9.
<6>OS Card Reference: DOE (IAM) record form 3 Nov 1986.
<7>OS Card Reference: Castellarum Anglicanum 1 1983 233-234 (D J Cathcart King).
<8>OS Card Reference: Blgs of Eng NE & E Kent 1980 445 (J Newman).
<9>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 20 1893 228-257 illus (W L Rutton).
<10>OS Card Reference: JBAA 40 1884 173-178 plan (T H Lewis).
<11>OS Card Reference: Arch 91 1945 137-155 illus (B H St J O'Neil).
<12>OS Card Reference: Martello Towers 1972 87 (S Sutcliffe).
<13>OS Card Reference: Handbook of Kent's Def 1540-1945 1977 9 (D Bennett).
<14>OS Card Reference: Hist King's Works 4 (H Colvin) 1485-1660 2 1982 370 371 404 405 569-587 plan (M Biddle).
<15>OS Card Reference: Arch J 123 1966 139 (A D Saunders).
<16>OS Card Reference: The Eng Castle 1936 110 (H Braun).
<17>OS Card Reference: Chateau Gaillard 3 1969 142 (L R Shelby).
<18>OS Card Reference: VCH 1 1908 44 (I C Gould).
<19>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 23 1898 24-30 plan (W L Rutton).
<20>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 21 1895 244-259 (W L Rutton).
<21>OS Card Reference: Post Md Arch 14 1980 53-88 illus (E C Harris).
<22>OS Card Reference: Ants of Eng & Wales 8 1787 100-101 (F Grose).
<23>OS Card Reference: Castles of Eng 1 1897 38 (J D Mackenzie).
<24>OS Card Reference: Country Life 10 238 32.
<25>OS Card Reference: Country Life 88 190-194.
<26>OS Card Reference: Buck's Ant 1 1774 141 (S & N Buck).
<27>OS Card Reference: Hist & Topo Survey of Co of Kent 3 381-382 (E Hasted).
<28>OS Card Reference: Castles & Cannon Study Early Artillery Fortification in Eng 1960 60 (B H St J O'Neil).
<29>OS Card Reference: Henry VIII & the Development of Coastal Defence 1976 28-29 (B M Morley).
<30>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TR 23 NW 13 - April, 1964.
<31>Collection: [SANDGATE CASTLE].
<32>Unpublished document: Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders. 2001. Kent's Defence Heritage.
<33>Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.
<34>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #31973 Castle, ]
<35>Photograph: VIEW OF SANDGATE CASTLE AT FOLKESTONE. OS55/F105/8. Black and White. Negative.
<36>Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST.. OS55/F110/3. Black and White. Negative.
<37>Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. VIEW OF OUTER WALL AND KEEP LOOKING NWW.. OS55/F110/5. Black and White. Negative.
<38>Collection: Harris, E C: Sandgate Castle, Kent.
<39>Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST.. OS55/F110/4. Black and White. Negative.
<40>Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE - PLAN (1725). OS55/F105/7. Black and White. Negative.
<41>Photograph: PLAN OF SANDGATE CASTLE IN FOLKESTONE FROM 1725. OS55/F105/6. Black and White. Negative.