In deciding to mark 200 years of the South Coast Martello Towers I quickly ran into a problem; when does the bicentenary actually occur? Does it originate from the conception of the south coast design, the date construction commenced, or the date it was completed? The towers were being built between 1805 and 1808, with some completed before others were begun, so a series of ongoing bicentennial commemorations seemed most appropriate.
I therefore decided to start celebrating from October 21, 2004. This was primarily due to it being the 200th anniversary of the Rochester conference that finalised the tower design, as well as the 199th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar that finally rendered the towers redundant.
In order to commemorate the bicentenary, Foundation to Firestep will chart the construction of the Martello Towers in real time, using official documents and newspaper reports of the time.
After two centuries, have the towers actually been completed yet? 1808 really represented the completion of the towers for their original intended purpose; over the years many have been altered in some way, whether for residential conversion/extension, historic renovation or ongoing military occupation. No doubt some of those towers that are currently derelict will undergo further construction/renovation work to suit their next purpose.
Whatever your take on this view, history is not finished, even for towers that were lost over a century ago; earlier this year low tides at Bexhill revealed what are believed to be the remains of Tower 47.
The Martello Tower story still goes on.
Note: Martello Tower occupants are advised not to light celebratory birthday candles in the gunpowder magazine...