Wish Tower Martello Tower fort Eastbourne Sussex England Victorian Promenade esplanade pier seaside resort
Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15–25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. A few towers had moats for extra defence. Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head. The modern town emerged in the early 19th century as a seaside resort, assisted by the arrival of the railway in 1849, and developed a spacious, regular layout. Prior to its Victorian development, the area consisted of the estates of the Duke of Devonshire and others, which had evolved around the village of East Burne. From the Bronze Age onward there were small settlements in and around the "Burne", an ancient stream which ran from what is now Motcombe Gardens down to the sea. During the Middle Ages sheep farming and fishing were the main activities. Eastbourne's earliest claim as a seaside resort was a summer holiday visit by four of King George III's children in 1780. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Wish Tower and the Redoubt were built as defences. In the wake of the fall of France in 1940, the town’s population fell sharply as this part of the south coast was considered a likely invasion zone. The town was badly bombed thus gaining it the dubious reputation of being ‘the most raided town in the southeast’. Thousands of Canadian soldiers were stationed in and around Eastbourne from the summer of 1941 to the run-up to D-Day.
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Photo credit: © SOTK2011 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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