Martello Tower at Tm 361 419 is a Grade II listed building in the East Suffolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 31 August 1988. Defensive tower.

Martello Tower at Tm 361 419

WRENN ID
dreaming-wicket-lark
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
East Suffolk
Constituency
Suffolk Coastal MP: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
31 August 1988
Type
Defensive tower
Address
Martello Tower at Tm 361 419, Alderton
OS grid reference
TM 361 419
Coordinates
52.02573, 1.44021
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Martello Tower, built between 1810 and 1812 by Colonel Twiss and Captain Ford, is a defensive tower located at TM 361 419. It is constructed of yellow brick with ashlar dressings and features a tear-drop-shaped plan, with the sharper end facing east towards the sea. The tower has battered walls and three storeys. On the first floor, there are four window openings with cambered heads, each having slightly projecting ashlar surrounds with lugs at the top, centre, and bottom of each side. There is also a doorway facing west at the same level, which has an ashlar surround and an inset ashlar ladder-slope below the cill. The roof of the tower includes a gun emplacement from around 1939 to 1945, made of reinforced concrete, featuring a projecting centre and recessed flanking walls with gun slits.

Local climate

Martello Tower at Tm 361 419 sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 96% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 50% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 14 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 87% of listed buildings. Of these, 8 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  2. Martello Tower at Tm 358 410 Grade II 925 m
  3. The Swan Inn Grade II 1.7 km
  4. Stangrove Hall Grade II 1.8 km
  5. The Old Rectory Grade II 1.8 km
  6. Church of St Andrew Grade II 1.8 km
  7. Walled Garden to the Rear of Cedar Court Grade II 1.9 km
  8. Battery Observation Post Grade II 1.9 km
  9. Alderton Hall Grade II 1.9 km
  10. Cedar Court Grade II 1.9 km