Monument record TR 35 SE 15 - Walmer Castle, Deal

Summary

Walmer Castle, a Henrician artillery castle, was built in 1539 by Henry VIII as part of his chain of coastal defences in response to the threat of invasion from Catholic forces. The castle was built along with Sandown and Deal Castles to protect the good landing grounds and strategic anchorage between the Goodwin Sands and the coast, known as the Downs. In 1648, during the Civil War, the castle was captured by Royalists and held for a number of weeks. A number of repairs and alterations have been carried out on the castle. In circa 1730 the castle was enlarged and converted into the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Important alterations were carried out in 1874 and during the Second World War a pill box was established there. Walmer castle consisted of a three-storey circular tower surrounded by four low semicircular bastions connected by a curtain wall. These had gun-platforms on their upper levels to support heavy guns. Contemporary illustrations show that the central tower and bastions were originally capped by broad rounded parapets pierced by gun embrasures. The castle buildings were also protected by a stone-lined dry moat and there was a gatehouse in the north western bastion which contained a number of defensive features including eight murder holes. The lower levels of the outer wall have gun-loops or ports which provided flanking cover of the bottom of the moat. Walmer was linked to its sister castles of Deal and Sandown by a series of bulwarks, or earthen defences, built along the coast between them.Since the early 18th century, Walmer Castle has been the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The alterations carried out during the 18th and 19th centuries were to create a residence in keeping with this role. One famous resident Lord Warden was the Duke of Wellington, who actually died at the castle.

Location

Grid reference Centred TR 3776 5009 (89m by 84m) FCE
Map sheet TR35SE
Civil Parish DEAL, DOVER, KENT
County KENT
District DOVER, KENT

Map

Find a placename, postcode or grid reference

Map layers

Base layers

Info

Record list

Tools

Type and Period (2)

Full Description

<1> OS 25"1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE48289.

<2> MHLG (1035/11/A June 1947) 20 (OS Card Reference). SKE46902.

<3> F1 ASP 19-JUN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42186.

<4> Deal & Walmer Castles 1963 (M O W) (OS Card Reference). SKE39690.

<5> The Landscape of Walmer Castle 1984 (E Banks R Flenley and H Neilson) (OS Card Reference). SKE50403.

<6> Country Life 46 1919 552-7 584-90 (M Conway) (OS Card Reference). SKE39433.

<8> Hist of the King's Works 4 (2) 1982 369 404-5 461-65 (H M Colvin) (OS Card Reference). SKE44038.

<9> JBAA 39 1883 418-19 (T Morgan) (OS Card Reference). SKE44951.

<10> Castellarum Anglicanum 1 1983 235 (D J Cathcart King) (OS Card Reference). SKE38618.

<11> VCH Kent 1 1908 444 (J Chalkley Gould and E A Downman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50918.

<12> The English Castle 1936 110 (H. Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE50341.

<13> The Castles of Great Britain 1953 266-67 (S Toy) (OS Card Reference). SKE50260.

<14> Castles An Intro to the Castles of England and Wales 1953 24 56 fig 1 (B H St J O'Neill) (OS Card Reference). SKE38622.

<15> A Hist of Fortification from 3000 B C to A D 1700 1955 245-246 (S Toy) (OS Card Reference). SKE32815.

<16> Arch Cant 23 1898 24-30 (W L Rutton) (OS Card Reference). SKE34858.

<17> A Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 17 (sic) 30 (D H Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE32806.

<18> BOE North East and East Kent 1983 489 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38268.

<19> Country Life 88 1940 190-4 (A Oswald) (OS Card Reference). SKE39459.

<20> Home Counties Mag 7 1905 149-51 illus (OS Card Reference). SKE44167.

<21> Castles of England 1 1897 55 (J D Mackenzie) (OS Card Reference). SKE38633.

<22> Mariner's Mirror 1965 155-71 (OS Card Reference). SKE46551.

<23> Deal and Walmer Castles Eng Heritage Guide 1988 5-16 18-20 30-42 photos plan (A D Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE39692.

<24> Field report for monument TR 35 SE 15 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6082.

<25> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage (Unpublished document). SKE6956.

<26> Vernacular Architecture Group, ADS Dendrochronology Database, Vol. 28, Pg. 130 (Website). SKE17391.

<27> historic england, 2015, Walmer Castle, Kingsdown Road, Deal, Kent: Tree-Ring Analysis of Oak and Pine Timbers (Bibliographic reference). SKE31736.

<28> Dungworth D & Girbal B, 2011, Walmer Castle, Deal, Kent: analysis of window glass: technology report (Unpublished document). SKE55415.

<29> Historic England, Archive material associated with Walmer Castle Scheduled Monument (Archive). SKE55416.

Sources/Archives (28)

  • <1> OS Card Reference: OS 25"1957.
  • <2> OS Card Reference: MHLG (1035/11/A June 1947) 20.
  • <3> OS Card Reference: F1 ASP 19-JUN-64.
  • <4>XY OS Card Reference: Deal & Walmer Castles 1963 (M O W). [Mapped feature: #961 Castle, ]
  • <5> OS Card Reference: The Landscape of Walmer Castle 1984 (E Banks R Flenley and H Neilson).
  • <6> OS Card Reference: Country Life 46 1919 552-7 584-90 (M Conway).
  • <8> OS Card Reference: Hist of the King's Works 4 (2) 1982 369 404-5 461-65 (H M Colvin).
  • <9> OS Card Reference: JBAA 39 1883 418-19 (T Morgan).
  • <10> OS Card Reference: Castellarum Anglicanum 1 1983 235 (D J Cathcart King).
  • <11> OS Card Reference: VCH Kent 1 1908 444 (J Chalkley Gould and E A Downman).
  • <12> OS Card Reference: The English Castle 1936 110 (H. Brown).
  • <13> OS Card Reference: The Castles of Great Britain 1953 266-67 (S Toy).
  • <14> OS Card Reference: Castles An Intro to the Castles of England and Wales 1953 24 56 fig 1 (B H St J O'Neill).
  • <15> OS Card Reference: A Hist of Fortification from 3000 B C to A D 1700 1955 245-246 (S Toy).
  • <16> OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 23 1898 24-30 (W L Rutton).
  • <17> OS Card Reference: A Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 17 (sic) 30 (D H Bennett).
  • <18> OS Card Reference: BOE North East and East Kent 1983 489 (J Newman).
  • <19> OS Card Reference: Country Life 88 1940 190-4 (A Oswald).
  • <20> OS Card Reference: Home Counties Mag 7 1905 149-51 illus.
  • <21> OS Card Reference: Castles of England 1 1897 55 (J D Mackenzie).
  • <22> OS Card Reference: Mariner's Mirror 1965 155-71.
  • <23> OS Card Reference: Deal and Walmer Castles Eng Heritage Guide 1988 5-16 18-20 30-42 photos plan (A D Saunders).
  • <24> Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TR 35 SE 15 - June, 1964.
  • <25> Unpublished document: Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders. 2001. Kent's Defence Heritage.
  • <26> Website: Vernacular Architecture Group. ADS Dendrochronology Database. Vol. 28, Pg. 130.
  • <27> Bibliographic reference: historic england. 2015. Walmer Castle, Kingsdown Road, Deal, Kent: Tree-Ring Analysis of Oak and Pine Timbers.
  • <28> Unpublished document: Dungworth D & Girbal B. 2011. Walmer Castle, Deal, Kent: analysis of window glass: technology report.
  • <29> Archive: Historic England. Archive material associated with Walmer Castle Scheduled Monument.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (7)

  • Non-Intrusive Event: Chemical analysis of historic window glass at Walmer Castle (EKE22326)
  • Intrusive Event: Dendrochronology dating of the ceiling beams of Walmer Castle (EKE11796)
  • Intrusive Event: Evaluation and survey at Walmer Castle Paddock (Ref: W605, W683, W6534, W6538) (EKE5325)
  • Intrusive Event: Evaluation, Walmer Castle, 1997 (EKE21164)
  • Intrusive Event: Tree-ring analysis of oak and pine timbers, Walmer Castle (Ref: 40-2015) (EKE15638)
  • Intrusive Event: WALMER CASTLE (Ref: EI 36178) (EKE4797)
  • Non-Intrusive Event: WALMER CASTLE PADDOCK (DEAL DRAINAGE AREA PLAN SCHEMES 3963 AND 3964) (Ref: W605, W683, W6534, W6538) (EKE21259)

Related Thematic Articles (2)

Record last edited

May 2 2023 1:49PM