Quay Walls

The quay walls in Dartmouth date from the 15th and 16th centuries, with later repairs and alterations. They were extended southwards in 1839 to connect with Bearscove Castle. Constructed from local limestone rubble, the walls feature larger blocks as coping stones. The vertical stone retaining wall rises from the estuary to the old cobbled quayside, stretching from Bearscove Castle at the southern end to a northern return that serves as the platform for Island House, located at No. 25 Lower Street. The quay includes a flight of granite steps leading down to the estuary, situated opposite No. 7, Port View House. This quay was the main one until the New Quay was built in the late 16th century, and there is evidence of a stone quay existing here by the 16th century.