Dartmouth Castle, Devon

One can see how the task of defending an estuary developed down the centuries

The south-west peninsula of England is well-known for its flooded river estuaries that provide sheltered moorings for shipping of a reasonable size; at least, what would have been considered reasonable in past centuries. These estuaries needed protection from incursions by foreign warships, and there are several castles that perform this function. The River Dart, in Devon, was guarded by two castles near its mouth, Kingswear on the eastern shore and Dartmouth on the west.

A succession of “castles”

What the visitor to Dartmouth Castle will see is a variety of methods used to defend the estuary, dating from the 14th century to the 20th. The first fortification was a “fortalice” or small fortress, the remains of which are visible next to the car park. We know that, from the 15th century, chains were stretched across the river to prevent ships from getting upstream.

However, it was not until 1481 that the present castle was started. Unusually, it seems to have been built on the initiative of the townspeople and not of a monarch or nobleman. This was probably due to a succession of scares occasioned by French raids on the Devon coast, which were partly in retaliation for attacks by English ships. There…