Dartmouth Castle is one of a pair of forts, the other being Kingswear Castle, that guard the mouth of the Dart estuary in Devon, England. This page is about the English county, for alternative meanings see Devon (disambiguation). ...
The castle comprises two towers - one round and one square - and sections of wall, the whole of which is built upon a rocky promotory, very close to the water's edge. A church, St Petroc's, is immediately adjacent to the structure.
The castle has its origins in the fourteenth century but was substantially rebuilt in the late fifteenth century, when it was redesigned specifically to accommodate guns by Henry VIII. The structure continued in use as a working fort until the nineteenth century and was altered on a number of occasions, in order to accommodate new military technology. (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...
This pair of castles, corresponding to each other like Portland and Sandsfoot or Pendennis and St. Mawes, were the guardians of the entry of the broad estuary of the Dart, designed by King Henry VIII to protect a great centre of commerce and an important strategical point.
Both castles are somewhat different in type from the normal low round tower, encircled by an embrasured battery, which is seen in the other haven-forts of this period.
Dartmouth town lies half a mile inside the estuary, strung along a hillside in a picturesque fashion.
Dartmouth is set in a picture book location, on the picturesque River Dart, with steep wooded hillsides on either side.
Dartmouth's oldest building, The Cherub Pub ( c1380), in Higher Street, and Agincourt House at Lower Ferry, are both examples of 14th century buildings that have survived in the town.
DartmouthCastle along with Kingswear Castle, on the opposite bank of the river, afforded this deep water anchorage even greater protection by having a heavy chain strung between them in times of war - protecting the ships at anchor and the homes and warehouses of Dartmouth's merchant community.
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