Fowey Blockhouse

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Fowey Castle

In the civil parish of Fowey.
In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

Boom tower survives as a ruined three storied rectangular building, built into the side of the cliff which forms the bank of the River Fowey, and is located opposite another chain tower Polruan Blockhouse. The structure is roofless and is constructed of local slate, with three walls surviving, the south east wall having collapsed at some time in the past. The chain tower was probably built in response to a raid on the town of Fowey by the French in 1457. Leland states that the tower was built during the reign of Edward IV. The two boom towers were designed to have a chain laid across the river between them which could be raised to prevent enemy shipping reaching the town of Fowey. Advances in artillery made the tower obselete and it was superseded by St Catherine's Castle in the 1520s.

This site has been described as a Chain Tower / Artillery Fort.A form of harbour defence where a chain is extended across the entry into a harbour to prevent access by enemy vessels. The mechanism housing the chain and allowing it to be raised and lowered was housed in a defensive tower, often an artillery fort in it's own right. Fortifications designed specifically for mounting artillery, usually as coastal defence against warships. Vary from large stone structures to small earthwork bulwarks with room for one or two pieces. Although some of the large royal buildings were of high quality with good detail these are actually practical military works.

The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.

Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 70712)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX12175133

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

Books
- Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p136-43
  Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p20
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p18
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p73
  Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p112
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p3
  Lysons, D. and S., 1814, Magna Britannia Vol3 Cornwall [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=403]
  Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p23
  Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol8 p16-21
Journal Articles
- Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p214-15
  Henderson, Charles; edited by Rowse, A.L. and Henderson, M.I., 1963, Essays in Cornish history p35
  Whitley, H.M., 1883-5, Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall Vol8 p150
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cornwalleng.html#cornwall1]
  Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p76, 77, 86
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p204

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The comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of Cornwall

With thanks to Philip Davis

Fowey Blockhouse

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX12175133

Sources of information, references and further reading