Sandgate Castle

Sandgate Castle lies in the village of the same name, in the county of Kent in England.

In 1533 Henry VIII of England broke with Pope Paul III in order to annul the long-standing marriage to his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and be able to remarry. Catherine was closely related to King Charles V of Spain, who took the annulment as a personal insult. As a consequence, France and Spain declared an alliance against Henry in 1538, and the Pope encouraged the two countries to attack England.

As an invasion of England then appeared certain, Henry issued an order to build a chain of fortifications along the English coast to counter this threat. So, between 1539 and 1547 a total of 17 castles were built, aided by earthwork fortifications. Sandgate was one of those castles, as were Deal and Walmer castles. As Henry's order was called a "device", the castles are also known as Device Forts or Henrician castles.

Sandgate Castle was built, near the beachfront, between 1539 and 1540 to defend a vulnerable point along the Kent cliffs. The castle consisted of a circular keep with 3 ovoid towers and bastions and a gatehouse, all surrounded by 2 curtain walls, forming a triangular inner and outer ward. It could hold 4 tiers of artillery, and was fitted with a total of 142 firing points for cannon and handguns.

The castle was taken by Parliamentary forces in 1642 at the start of the First English Civil War, and was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents during the Second English Civil War in 1648. The castle was extensively redesigned between 1805 and 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars. The height of the castle was significantly reduced and the keep was turned into a Martello tower.

However, due to coastal erosion, the castle had begun to suffer damage in the early 17th century and by the middle of the 19th century, the receding coastline had reached the edge of the castle walls. Due to the high repair costs it was decommissioned and sold off into private ownership in 1888. As coastal erosion continued, the southern part of the castle was destroyed by the 1950s. In the 2nd part of the 1970s it was consolidated and partly restored by its private owners.

At present Sandgate Castle is private property. It used to be a residence but now is in use by a company. Too bad, I am curious about its interior.

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Sandgate Castle

Sandgate Castle lies in the village of the same name, in the county of Kent in England.

In 1533 Henry VIII of England broke with Pope Paul III in order to annul the long-standing marriage to his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and be able to remarry. Catherine was closely related to King Charles V of Spain, who took the annulment as a personal insult. As a consequence, France and Spain declared an alliance against Henry in 1538, and the Pope encouraged the two countries to attack England.

As an invasion of England then appeared certain, Henry issued an order to build a chain of fortifications along the English coast to counter this threat. So, between 1539 and 1547 a total of 17 castles were built, aided by earthwork fortifications. Sandgate was one of those castles, as were Deal and Walmer castles. As Henry's order was called a "device", the castles are also known as Device Forts or Henrician castles.

Sandgate Castle was built, near the beachfront, between 1539 and 1540 to defend a vulnerable point along the Kent cliffs. The castle consisted of a circular keep with 3 ovoid towers and bastions and a gatehouse, all surrounded by 2 curtain walls, forming a triangular inner and outer ward. It could hold 4 tiers of artillery, and was fitted with a total of 142 firing points for cannon and handguns.

The castle was taken by Parliamentary forces in 1642 at the start of the First English Civil War, and was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents during the Second English Civil War in 1648. The castle was extensively redesigned between 1805 and 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars. The height of the castle was significantly reduced and the keep was turned into a Martello tower.

However, due to coastal erosion, the castle had begun to suffer damage in the early 17th century and by the middle of the 19th century, the receding coastline had reached the edge of the castle walls. Due to the high repair costs it was decommissioned and sold off into private ownership in 1888. As coastal erosion continued, the southern part of the castle was destroyed by the 1950s. In the 2nd part of the 1970s it was consolidated and partly restored by its private owners.

At present Sandgate Castle is private property. It used to be a residence but now is in use by a company. Too bad, I am curious about its interior.

Gallery

Details
Hits: 2918