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Summary

A curtain wall around all but the NW side of the peninsula, with its associated features and batteries.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 15434: POST-MEDIEVAL BREASTWORK, CURTAIN WALL AND ASSOCIATED DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE GARRISON, ST MARY'S
• Listed Building (I) 62521: OUTER WALLS AND GATEWAY

Other References/Statuses

• Heritage at Risk (National)
• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 60.1.1
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SV81SE 30
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 7906
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SV81SE 2.11

Monument Type(s):

• CURTAIN WALL (17th Century - 1601 AD to 1700 AD)

Full description

Prior to the 1994 revision of the Garrison defences SMR, this site was recorded as PRN 7423.11 (b17).
A curtain wall around all but the NW side of the peninsula, with its associated features and batteries (7906.01-7906.23) and the artillery fort Star Castle (7902) which it encloses are the principal components of the Garrison's post medieval fortifications. The Garrison's walls are of granite and the facing stones are particularly well cut where built or rebuilt in the C18, with turf and granite coping (h2, b15). They average perhaps 2.0m wide by 2.0m high, rising over 5.0m high externally across the neck (h6). Four main sections are defined, continuous but of varying date and construction (h1, h3-h6). The section across the peninsula's neck is Elizabethan (7906.04); that extending south from the neck to Lower Broom battery is of possible Elizabethan origin (7906.15); that from Lower Broom battery round the south coastline to Steval Point was built between 1742 and 1750 (7906.18); and that from King Charles Battery to the northern end of the neck in two phases between 1715 and 1742 (7906.01). A level trackway or 'allee couverte' inside the whole length of the walls was completed by 1750 (b6) and subsequently enjoyed as a walk for health and pleasure, "as in the Mall at St James" (b9). The monument is included in the Schedule. It is a Listed Building, Grade I (b15).
"Outer walls and gateway, The Garrison.
Wall and bastions across neck of the Hugh begun by Francis Godolphin soon after 1601; batteries and walls encircling peninsula of 1716-46 by Abraham Tovey, Master Gunner. Turf and granite coping to facing walls of dressed granite, the C18 walls being of particularly well-cut granite. Batteries are mostly angular in plan and are located in large bastions found principally at Morning Point, Woolpack Point and south of Steval Point; embrasures to tops of battery walls and gun emplacements formed by large dressed granite slabs. Stone sentry box with segmental-arched doorway and ball finial to pyramidal roof on rampart to east of gateway. Gateway has label mould over moulded arched doorway with sunk spandrels; C18 bellcote above surmounts plaque with date 1742 and GR monogram above plaque with monogram AT. The C18 batteries are mostly restorations or rebuilds of mid C17 structures, and their construction followed a report on the state of the defences by Colonel Christian Lilley in 1715. Part of an important fortification, centred on Star Castle (qv). Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. (P Laws: The Buildings of Scilly: Redruth: 1980-: 6, 10; B.H. St.J.O'Neil: Isles of Scilly: London (HMSO): 1950-: 26, 31-3; Saunders A: Fortress Britain: Liphook: 1989-: 79-80)." (EH Listed Building description, 2002).
The site is visible on aerial photographs (p1) and was plotted as part of the NMP.

--------------------------------
Site history:
1: 1978. NJA/OS
2: 1982. UNKNOWN/EH
3: 1990. HERRING, P AND PARKES, C/CAU
4: 1990. JOHNSON, NJ/CAU
5: 1991. UNKNOWN/EH
6: 1993. RATCLIFFE, J/CAU
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<1> UNKNOWN, 1655, A MAP OF THE HEW HILL THE CHEIFFE FFORTIFICATIONS, DD GO 575 (Unedited Source). SCO5445.

CAU, 1987, CAU/F14/106,149 (Photographic Record). SCO17007.

<2> Bowley, RL (Ed), 1980, The Fortunate Islands, 53 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5086.

<3> ROBYN, I, 1683, SCILLY ISLES OF TESORLINGES (Unedited Source). SCO5464.

<4> Lilly, C, 1715, A Plan of the Hugh (Unpublished document). SCO3869.

<5> UNKNOWN, 1742, A PLAN OF HUGH FORT ALIAS THE STAR CASTLE (Unedited Source). SCO5544.

<6> Tovey, A, 1750, A Plan of the Peninsula and Fortifications on St Mary's (Bibliographic reference). SCO4950.

<7> Heath, R, 1750, A Natural and Historical Account of the Islands of Scilly, 69, 73-74 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3486.

<8> Borlase, W, 1756, Observations on the Ancient and Present State of the Islands of Scilly (Bibliographic reference). SCO2883.

<9> Troutbeck, J, 1796, Survey of the Ancient and Present State of the Scilly Islands, 43, 44 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4965.

<10> Woodley, G, 1822, A View of the Present State of the Scilly Islands, 228 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5069.

<11> Birch, JF, 1974, Plan of the Garrison on the Island of Saint Mary, Scilly (Bibliographic reference). SCO2851.

<12> Ordnance Survey, 1880s, 1st Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4048.

<13> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

<14> O'Neil, BH St J, 1961, Isles of Scilly MOW Guide, 36-37 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4042.

<15> DOE, Listed Building Description (original DOE), 53 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5173.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO3819 - Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951 (Ref: RDRS 56-2011)
• ECO3128 - Garrison Walls, Isles of Scilly, conservation plan
• ECO3784 - Isles of Scilly Historic Environment Research Framework
• ECO3363 - The Garrison, St Marys: Survey, 2006-2011 (Ref: 39-2011)

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