En un regard
Le château en bref
Cromwell's Castle is a circular artillery tower standing at the water's edge on the north-west coast of Tresco, in the Isles of Scilly. It commands the deep channel between Tresco and Bryher and the entrance to New Grimsby harbour, one of the main sea approaches to the islands. Its position made any landing on this side of the island virtually impossible until the tower had been put out of action.
The site already held a small blockhouse, recorded in 1554, linked to the Tudor fort of King Charles's Castle higher up on the heath. After Robert Blake's Parliamentarian fleet retook the Scillies in 1651, the new tower was built in 1651-1652, partly with stone salvaged from the ruins of King Charles's Castle, to lock the passage, particularly against the Dutch threat. Around 1740, at the start of the War of Jenkins' Ear, a pentagonal gun platform was added on the seaward side, with a parapet, guardroom, latrine and a new entrance; yet by the mid-18th century the antiquary William Borlase described it as ungarrisoned and falling into decay.
About 15 metres high with an external diameter of roughly 13.5 metres, the tower retains its rubble walls nearly 4 metres thick, a vaulted room, a spiral staircase within the thickness of the wall and a roof platform pierced by six gunports. Placed in State guardianship in 1922, it is now managed by English Heritage and freely accessible.
