United Kingdom

East and West Blockhouses

Tudor coastal blockhouses, 16th-century Pembrokeshire

Location

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Historical Context

About

The East and West Blockhouses were Device Forts built by King Henry VIII in 1539 to protect the harbour of Milford Haven in Wales. The two blockhouses were positioned on either side of the Milford Haven Waterway in the villages of Angle and Dale respectively, overlooking the sea. The East Blockhouse was never completed, but the remains were reused as a defensive site in the Second World War. The West Blockhouse was described by contemporaries as forming a round tower with gunports, but it was demolished when West Blockhouse Fort was built on the same site in the 19th century.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

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Device issued and construction begun

1539

Walls began to collapse

1546

Peace with France

1558

Royal permission to reuse stonework

1589

West Blockhouse demolished for new fort

19th century

Second World War adaptations

1939

North wall collapse recorded

before 1975

Major landslip

2010-2011

Archaeological survey funded by Cadw

2011

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Defensive Structures

TowersFortressesEnclosures
category

Military Installations

GunportsMachine-gun positionsRifle embrasuresSlit trenches
category

Environmental and Natural Features

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Reference

Details

Country

United Kingdom

Coordinates

51.68° N, -5.12° E