Kingswear Castle


Kingswear Castle, Devon
Photo © Peter Barr, 1989

Kingswear Castle, Devon
Photo © David Stowell, 9 May 2005

Kingswear Castle was built between 1491 - 1502, as a coastal artillery tower for use with heavy cannon. It is located in Devon, England.

Due to the limited range of cannon at the time, the fort at Kingswear was designed to work alongside Dartmouth Castle on the opposite bank, so that between them they could provide complete cover of the narrow entrance through the Dart estuary into Dartmouth Harbour. Gun technology improved and the range of the weapons increased and new gun emplacements were added to Dartmouth Castle, aiming further out towards the estuary mouth, leading to a decline in the defensive role of Kingswear Castle.

Unlike Dartmouth Castle, the site of Kingswear Castle is owned by landmark trust and not generally accessible to the public.

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