Sugary and Castle Cove Photo

Dartmouth Castle, from the mouth of the River Dart

Standing at the entrance to the Dart Estuary, Dartmouth Castle was built to protect Dartmouth harbour from foreign invaders. Original construction of a castle on this site began in 1388 to protect the homes of the town's merchants from seaward attack. By 1491 it had been further reinforced by the addition of a gun tower to mount heavy guns and was the first purpose-built artillery tower in England. The last gun emplacements to be built and manned were added during the Second World War. The Castle is now a tourist attraction run by English Heritage.

© Sheila Tarleton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence