Little Dennis Blockhouse, Pendennis Castle

Little Dennis Blockhouse is a blockhouse located at Pendennis Castle, built between 1540 and 1545 as part of Henry VIII's coastal defenses. It was dismantled in 1654. The structure is made of killas rubble with granite dressings and is built into the bedrock on the landward side. It features curved merlons on the seaward side and is roofless, with what was originally a lead roof. There is a rubble stack beside the staircase. The blockhouse has a D-shaped plan with very thick walls, a slightly projecting stair turret at one corner, and a recessed doorway at the opposite corner. The entrance has a 4-centred arched doorway, with the main gun port and flanking openings facing across the estuary, and another gun port facing out to sea. Inside, there is a chamfered flat-headed fireplace, and on the opposite wall, a large 4-centred arch leads to a splayed and ribbed gun station, with a blocked smoke vent above. There is also a smaller gun station at right angles to this, a newel stair drum to the left of the fireplace, large beam sockets, and a coped parapet walk.