Tower 35 was used by the coast guard and is listed in the 1851 census as being occupied by Boatman John Menear, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Mary, Edith, John, Harriet and William.
The tower was in danger from the sea when it was used, along with Tower 38, in explosives trials on 27 April 1872, to determine whether the new guncotton, invented by a Mr. Abel, would prove more effective than traditional gunpowder.
Tower 35 was filled with 800lbs of the traditional gunpowder in unheaded barrels, while Tower 38 had 3 charges totalling only 200lbs of the new guncotton. Tower 35 was detonated first, resulting in a loud explosion accompanied by a large column of rising smoke. The explosion was described in the May 11, 1872 edition of "The Graphic" as "slow and sullen," the beams and stones of the tower being thrown up into the air. The tower lay in ruins as a result.
The subsequent destruction of Tower 38 proved far more devastating. The "Graphic" illustrations of before and after, shown above, could be of either tower, but judging by the large blocks left afterwards, are probably of Tower 35. The individual images can be seen on the Tower 38 page.
 |
 |  |
| Tower 34 | Tower 36 |