TR 23 NW 444 - SANDGATE CASTLE - Historic Environment Record

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Listed Building record TR 23 NW 444 - SANDGATE CASTLE

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1539 to 1975 Sandgate Castle was one of the coastal forts erected by Henry VIII in 1539-40. It was reportedly the only one that was not used to defend a harbour or an anchorage; instead it commanded the beach and the coast road to Dover. It was constructed in 1539-40 to the design of Stefan von Haschenperg. The castle was dis-established in 1553 but returned to the Crown's possession by 1557 and floors and roofs were renewed. By the end of the 1560s the castle was again derelict though a large gun platform for ten cannon had replaced the southern bastion by 1616. The keep was re-roofed and the seaward battery rebuilt in 1715-16. In 1805, the remains of the castle were brought into the scheme to defend the coasts with gun-towers during the Napoleonic threat. The roofs of the keep, the bastions and the gatehouse were swept away and the bastions and the entire inner curtain were reduced to first-floor level with the rubble used to fill the outer ward of the castle to form an esplanade. By 1808 the central tower had been transformed into a version of a Martello tower. It also had eight guns mounted on the seaward side of the outer curtain and a single 24 pdr was mounted on the roof of the central tower. In 1859, the castle was re-equipped with eight new guns - 68 and 32pdrs - one being positioned on the roof of the central tower. A large magazine was built under the esplanade to the south of the gatehouse. The castle walls had been breached by the sea prior to 1725 and then in the 1870s. The southern side was undermined in 1928 and there was further erosion before the building of the seawall in the early 1950s. About a third of the original castle has been destroyed.

Location

Grid reference	TR 20682 35172 (point)
Map sheet	TR23NW
County	KENT
District	FOLKESTONE AND HYTHE, KENT
Civil Parish	SANDGATE, SHEPWAY, KENT

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Type and Period (5)

Full Description

<1> OS 25" 1958 (OS Card Reference). SKE48274.

<2> MHLG (1118/11/A/ May 1948) (OS Card Reference). SKE46914.

<3> AM Eng & Wales 1958 59 (OS Card Reference). SKE33006.

<4> F1 CFW 28.04.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42790.

<5> DOE (HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 11 Mar 1975 9 (OS Card Reference). SKE40341.

<6> DOE (IAM) record form 3 Nov 1986 (OS Card Reference). SKE40746.

<7> Castellarum Anglicanum 1 1983 233-234 (D J Cathcart King) (OS Card Reference). SKE38617.

<8> Blgs of Eng NE & E Kent 1980 445 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38183.

<9> Arch Cant 20 1893 228-257 illus (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34817.

<10> JBAA 40 1884 173-178 plan (T H Lewis) (OS Card Reference). SKE44968.

<11> Arch 91 1945 137-155 illus (B H St J O'Neil) (OS Card Reference). SKE34467.

<12> Martello Towers 1972 87 (S Sutcliffe) (OS Card Reference). SKE46558.

<13> Handbook of Kent's Def 1540-1945 1977 9 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE43664.

<14> Hist King's Works 4 (H Colvin) 1485-1660 2 1982 370 371 404 405 569-587 plan (M Biddle) (OS Card Reference). SKE43904.

<15> Arch J 123 1966 139 (A D Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE36536.

<16> The Eng Castle 1936 110 (H Braun) (OS Card Reference). SKE50336.

<17> Chateau Gaillard 3 1969 142 (L R Shelby) (OS Card Reference). SKE38949.

<18> VCH 1 1908 44 (I C Gould) (OS Card Reference). SKE50797.

<19> Arch Cant 23 1898 24-30 plan (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34859.

<20> Arch Cant 21 1895 244-259 (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34825.

<21> Post Md Arch 14 1980 53-88 illus (E C Harris) (OS Card Reference). SKE48533.

<22> Ants of Eng & Wales 8 1787 100-101 (F Grose) (OS Card Reference). SKE33306.

<23> Castles of Eng 1 1897 38 (J D Mackenzie) (OS Card Reference). SKE38626.

<24> Country Life 10 238 32 (OS Card Reference). SKE39373.

<25> Country Life 88 190-194 (OS Card Reference). SKE39458.

<26> Buck's Ant 1 1774 141 (S & N Buck) (OS Card Reference). SKE38400.

<27> Hist & Topo Survey of Co of Kent 3 381-382 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE43766.

<28> Castles & Cannon Study Early Artillery Fortification in Eng 1960 60 (B H St J O'Neil) (OS Card Reference). SKE38621.

<29> Henry VIII & the Development of Coastal Defence 1976 28-29 (B M Morley) (OS Card Reference). SKE43757.

<30> Field report for monument TR 23 NW 13 - April, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5599.

<31> [SANDGATE CASTLE] (Collection). SKE6549.

<32> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage (Unpublished document). SKE6956.

<33> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<34> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<35> VIEW OF SANDGATE CASTLE AT FOLKESTONE (Photograph). SKE1404.

<36> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST. (Photograph). SKE1405.

<37> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. VIEW OF OUTER WALL AND KEEP LOOKING NWW. (Photograph). SKE1407.

<38> Harris, E C: Sandgate Castle, Kent (Collection). SKE6476.

<39> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST. (Photograph). SKE1406.

<40> SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE - PLAN (1725) (Photograph). SKE1403.

<41> PLAN OF SANDGATE CASTLE IN FOLKESTONE FROM 1725 (Photograph). SKE1402.

Sources/Archives (41)

<1> SKE48274 OS Card Reference: OS 25" 1958.
<2> SKE46914 OS Card Reference: MHLG (1118/11/A/ May 1948).
<3> SKE33006 OS Card Reference: AM Eng & Wales 1958 59.
<4> SKE42790 OS Card Reference: F1 CFW 28.04.64.
<5> SKE40341 OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 11 Mar 1975 9.
<6> SKE40746 OS Card Reference: DOE (IAM) record form 3 Nov 1986.
<7> SKE38617 OS Card Reference: Castellarum Anglicanum 1 1983 233-234 (D J Cathcart King).
<8> SKE38183 OS Card Reference: Blgs of Eng NE & E Kent 1980 445 (J Newman).
<9> SKE34817 OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 20 1893 228-257 illus (W L Rutton).
<10> SKE44968 OS Card Reference: JBAA 40 1884 173-178 plan (T H Lewis).
<11> SKE34467 OS Card Reference: Arch 91 1945 137-155 illus (B H St J O'Neil).
<12> SKE46558 OS Card Reference: Martello Towers 1972 87 (S Sutcliffe).
<13> SKE43664 OS Card Reference: Handbook of Kent's Def 1540-1945 1977 9 (D Bennett).
<14> SKE43904 OS Card Reference: Hist King's Works 4 (H Colvin) 1485-1660 2 1982 370 371 404 405 569-587 plan (M Biddle).
<15> SKE36536 OS Card Reference: Arch J 123 1966 139 (A D Saunders).
<16> SKE50336 OS Card Reference: The Eng Castle 1936 110 (H Braun).
<17> SKE38949 OS Card Reference: Chateau Gaillard 3 1969 142 (L R Shelby).
<18> SKE50797 OS Card Reference: VCH 1 1908 44 (I C Gould).
<19> SKE34859 OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 23 1898 24-30 plan (W L Rutton).
<20> SKE34825 OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 21 1895 244-259 (W L Rutton).
<21> SKE48533 OS Card Reference: Post Md Arch 14 1980 53-88 illus (E C Harris).
<22> SKE33306 OS Card Reference: Ants of Eng & Wales 8 1787 100-101 (F Grose).
<23> SKE38626 OS Card Reference: Castles of Eng 1 1897 38 (J D Mackenzie).
<24> SKE39373 OS Card Reference: Country Life 10 238 32.
<25> SKE39458 OS Card Reference: Country Life 88 190-194.
<26> SKE38400 OS Card Reference: Buck's Ant 1 1774 141 (S & N Buck).
<27> SKE43766 OS Card Reference: Hist & Topo Survey of Co of Kent 3 381-382 (E Hasted).
<28> SKE38621 OS Card Reference: Castles & Cannon Study Early Artillery Fortification in Eng 1960 60 (B H St J O'Neil).
<29> SKE43757 OS Card Reference: Henry VIII & the Development of Coastal Defence 1976 28-29 (B M Morley).
<30> SKE5599 Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TR 23 NW 13 - April, 1964.
<31> SKE6549 Collection: [SANDGATE CASTLE].
<32> SKE6956 Unpublished document: Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders. 2001. Kent's Defence Heritage.
<33> SKE29372 Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.
<34>XY SKE16160 Map: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #31973 Castle, ]
<35> SKE1404 Photograph: VIEW OF SANDGATE CASTLE AT FOLKESTONE. OS55/F105/8. Black and White. Negative.
<36> SKE1405 Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST.. OS55/F110/3. Black and White. Negative.
<37> SKE1407 Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. VIEW OF OUTER WALL AND KEEP LOOKING NWW.. OS55/F110/5. Black and White. Negative.
<38> SKE6476 Collection: Harris, E C: Sandgate Castle, Kent.
<39> SKE1406 Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE. CENTRAL KEEP FROM NORTH WEST.. OS55/F110/4. Black and White. Negative.
<40> SKE1403 Photograph: SANDGATE CASTLE, FOLKESTONE - PLAN (1725). OS55/F105/7. Black and White. Negative.
<41> SKE1402 Photograph: PLAN OF SANDGATE CASTLE IN FOLKESTONE FROM 1725. OS55/F105/6. Black and White. Negative.