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Summary

A blockhouse, 8.5m long by 6.7m wide, overlooking St Helen's Pool and Old Grimsby harbour.

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 62554: THE BLOCKHOUSE
• Scheduled Monument 15406: MID-16TH CENTURY BLOCKHOUSE AND RAMPARTS WITH ADJACENT WALLING AND OCCUPATION DEPOSITS AT BLOCK HOUSE POINT

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SV 81 NE 28
• National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 303400
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SV81NE 28
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 7365
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SV81NE 12

Monument Type(s):

• BLOCKHOUSE (16th Century - 1548 AD to 1552 AD)

Full description

An old blockhouse is recorded on the 1963 OS map. In the Parliamentary Survey of 1652 it is called 'Dover Fort' (b1). Recorded in 1796 by Troutbeck as 8.5m long by 6.7m wide, with two store platforms on top, secured by a parapet (b3). A description of the blockhouse as it now stands is given by O'Neil (b1). It consists of a rectangular platform paved with stone, raised high on a carn overlooking St Helen's Pool and Old Grimsby harbour. It originally had a parapet with embrasures at the west end of the north and south sides. Meagre living quarters were provided with originally a lean-to structure in the soth west corner, and later a room was added to the south west corner with access to the platform. The blockhouse is a Listed Building, Grade II (b4) and the OS field worker confirms O'Neil's description (h2). The site was visited in 1988 (h3). The blockhouse was as described by O'Neil and the OS fieldworker; the platform being an irregular quadrangle approx 7.0m NE-SW by 6.5m NW-SE, raised 2.1m from the ground to the SW side where it is reached up stone steps, and further where the ground falls away to the cliff. The walls are approx 1.0m thick, of medium sized stones above massive boulders and rock outcrops in situ forming the lower courses, and survive to 2.5m above the platform at the entrance. The annexe, 2.8m NE-SW by 3.6m NW-SE, appears almost intact, with windows and fireplace. The monument was included in the Schedule on 11/5/1950, confirmed on 9/10/1981, amended on 1/4/1994 and revised on 16/1/1996.

The site was visited between 2008-10 by English Heritage (5, 6). They date the construction of the fort to 1548-1552, and describe it as consisting of a small paved square platform with room for three guns, there is no evidence for whether or how it was roofed. On the south side there is a built-in locker, presumably for powder, and attached to the west side is a small room with two windows and a fireplace. This room blocks a window openig in the west side of the platform, but there is no obvious joint in the wall that would indicate that the two were constructed at different times. A shallow bank around the building may be contemporary, or date to the civil war.

Other references to this monument (7).

--------------------------------
Site history:
1: 19-. UNKNOWN/IAM
2: 1978. NVQ/OS
3: 1988. PARKES, C/CAU
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<1> O'Neil, BH St J, 1961, Isles of Scilly MOW Guide, 25-26 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4042.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<3> Troutbeck, J, 1796, Survey of the Ancient and Present State of the Scilly Islands, 133 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4965.

<4> DOE, Listed Building Description (original DOE), NOV 1954, 7 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5173.

<5> Bowden, M, 2011, Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951: Earthwork Sites and Minor Features, 7 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO25530.

<6> Bowden, M and Brodie, A, 2011, Defending Scilly, 6 (Bibliographic reference). SCO29932.

<7> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2004, Heritage Unlocked: Guide to free sites in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, 82-83 (Booklet). SCO29764.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO3819 - Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951 (Ref: RDRS 56-2011)

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