Martello Tower is a Grade II listed building in the Rother local planning authority area, England. First listed on 12 October 1951. A Early 19th century Defensive structure.

Martello Tower

WRENN ID
twisted-passage-crow
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Rother
Constituency
Hastings and Rye MP: Helena Dollimore (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
12 October 1951
Type
Defensive structure
Period
Early 19th century
Address
Martello Tower, Winchelsea Road, Rye
OS grid reference
TQ 918 198
Coordinates
50.94634, 0.72948
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

Martello Tower, located on Winchelsea Road, is one of the few Martello Towers in Sussex that has not had its roof altered for refortification during the late war. It is numbered 30 and was built as a defensive structure during the invasion scare of 1806. The tower features walls made of brick that are 5½ to 6 feet thick, covered with a coating of cement that is now peeling in places. The eaves cornice is also made of cement. The roof is flat in the center, with a narrow sloping portion around the edge. The doorway is situated 20 feet above the ground. Originally, the interior included a magazine and two floors above it. At some point, the tower appears to have been adapted for residential use, as evidenced by a small sash window inserted on the east and west sides, along with two small chimneys above the roof level. Surrounding the tower is a circular earth rampart. This tower is scheduled as an Ancient Monument.

Local climate

Martello Tower receives an average of 780 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 62% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 84% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 16 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 84% 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.

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