Artillery Fortifications: round gun towers
Gunpowder made its appearance in European warfare in the early 14th century and military architects responded over the next two centuries by making existing fortifications more effective at reducing the effects of gunfire on stone walls. This they achieved by accommodating guns in towers with a wide field of fire to keep attackers at a distance, by lowering the profile of defences and building round towers and wide, curving parapets to deflect incoming balls. The round tower defence was widely superseded in the 16th century by the trace Italienne with angled bastions, but in parts of northern Europe continued to be popular.
The Cow Tower, Norwich. This purpose-built brick gun platform was added to the city's defences in 1398-9. The upper storeys provided for a wide field of fire for early cannon (photograhed 2009).
Pfalzel, Germany. The walls of this small town beside the River Mosel, completed in 1539, consisted of earth ramparts faced with stone front and back and provided with round flanking towers and casemates within the rampart loopholed to allow guns to sweep the dry ditch in an attack.
The Lord's Mount, Berwick upon Tweed. Only the base of this gun tower survives at the corner of the medieval town walls, where it was built on the orders of king Henry VIII, who may have influenced its design.
Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight. As rebuilt in 1464, guns firing through loopholes set high in the main gateway could keep attackers at a distance (photographed 1966).
Chateau of Rambures, Somme. Begun by David, Seigneur de Rambures, who was killed at Agincourt in 1415, and completed by his grandson Jacques in 1470. As originally built, this sophisticated brick castle consisted of four drum towers rising from the base of a dry ditch and joined by curving demi-towers enclosing a central courtyard. A continuous machicolated gallery in white limestone and loopholes at different levels equipped for cannon provided an all-round field of fire and cover for the base of the walls (photographed 2007).
Dulle Griet or 'Mad Meg', named after a figure in Flemish folklore. This large-calibre gun was made in the Mons cannon foundry in the mid-fifteenth century, one of a trio of wrought-iron bombards which also included its sister, Mons Meg, now in Edinburgh Castle. Dulle Griet was used by the city of Ghent, where she now resides, at the siege of Oudenarde in 1452.(photographed 2018)
Calshot Castle, Hampshire. This gun tower or blockhouse was built at the mouth of Southampton Water between 1539 and 1542 as one of king Henry VIII's 'Device Forts' to defend the coast of England and Wales against invasion by the forces of France and the Holy Roman Empire (photographed 2013).
Tantallon Castle, East Lothian. Like many castles built before the gunpowder age, attempts were made to adapt Tantallon to the new warfare by incorporating gun emplacements into the older fabric and creating defence in depth in the form of outworks designed to keep a besieging force at a distance. This reconstruction of a static, breech-loading cannon is aimed through an original gunport and could have been re-loaded after firing by wedging a cast-iron ‘beer stein’ charge into the breech without needing to access the weapon’s muzzle (photographed 2018).
Kotor, Montenegro. The medieval walls of this town, which extend for 4.5km and ascend from sea level to 250m, were re-fashioned under Venetian rule in the 16th and 17th centuries. ‘Keyhole’ gun loops and the bastion (left) with its round plan and parapet profile are characteristic of early 16th century improvements (photographed 2016).
Walmer Castle later became home to the Wardens of the Cinque Ports. The Duke of Wellington died here on 14 September 1852.
Henry VIII Castles in Kent constructed 1539-40
Deal Castle defences: round gun towers to give a sweeping field of fire covering the dry ditch and counterscarp.
Deal Castle entrance: two holes above guided the chains which raised the drawbridge.