Jaywick Martello Tower celebrates 20 years since opening

Built in 1809, the building was originally one of 29 Martello towers located on England’s east coast to defend the country against the threat of invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and his armies.

The name ‘Martello’ derives from a similar military sea defence tower at Mortella Point in Corsica.

In fact, the Mortella Tower withstood the combined force of 101 cannons being fired from two Royal Navy battleships and was only defeated after a fire broke out inside the tower.

The navy were so impressed with the strength of the tower they took its measurements before they left Corsica and used them as the basis for the size and shape of all the Martello towers in England.

The towers were also home to three cannons, which usually included a 24-pounder facing out to sea and two smaller Howitzers at each side.

With walls two to three metres thick and roughly 10 metres high, the Martello towers were built using approximately 750,000 bricks. At Jaywick, the tower was constructed with bricks made at Grays using London Clay and were transported to the site by barge.

Since becoming a thriving heritage venue, Jaywick Martello Tower has received thousands of visitors since opening. It regularly hosts workshops, activities and events for schools, local community groups and families based around the core themes of art, heritage and the environment.

On an annual basis the tower’s arts and cultural programme features six to eight exhibitions, 12 adult creative workshops, 13 talks on subjects ranging from climate change to local history, and a number of children’s events and workshops and family activities.

This August, and to celebrate the Grade II listed venues 20th anniversary, two exhibitions will be held. The first exhibition will celebrate 20 years of the venue opening its doors to the public, while the second by the Friends of Jaywick Martello Tower will focus on the its construction and heritage.

Find out more about the events and exhibitions taking place this summer with Tower at Twenty.