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| Monument Name |
Tudor Blockhouse, East Mersea |
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| SMR Number |
2217 |
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| Summary |
Fort with 4-6 guns, ditch and drawbridge built in 1547. Re-armed c.1796. |
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| Media |
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| Associated Media |
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| Description |
Fort with 4-6 guns, ditch and drawbridge built in 1547. It was allowed to fall into decay but repaired in 1587 and was still considered effective in 1631. By 1656 it was in use as a house, and so was not demolished the previous year. <1> It is shown on a map of 1656. <4> Holman describes it as decayed in 1710. <2> Morant says it was ruinous in 1768. <3>
A single turret is visible from the air in the saltmarsh beyond the sea wall. <6>
Other refs. <4><5>
Present management practice should continue <7>
Archaeological Survey of Cudmore Grove Country Park in 2002-3 looked at some timbers near the blockhouse. <8> - <9>
According to Kent a battery was built c.1796 into the seaward face of the old fort at East Mersea. This battery had 6 24 pounder guns. <10>
Management recommendations in 2005 recognised that the main risks to the site were sea wall construction and erosion either by nature or by increased visitors. The site needs to be monitored regularly for erosion and any archaeological strata revealed by erosion needs to be investigated. <11> |
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| Monument Type(s) |
BATTERY (Dated 1796AD to 1819AD)
BLOCKHOUSE (Dated 1547AD to 1655AD)
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| Monument Class(es) |
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
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Period
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1796AD to 1819AD Post Medieval
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| Status |
Scheduled Monument |
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| Administration Area |
EAST MERSEA, COLCHESTER, ESSEX |
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National Grid Reference
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Square: TM01NE
Ref: 072151 |
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| Finds |
None listed
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| Events |
Archaeological Survey by Essex County Council
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Sources
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Desc Text : Essex Rev (Essex Review) Vol 3, p221
Desc Text : SMR (Sellers, E)
Map : MAP by (unknown) Dated : 1656
Desc Text : DESC TEXT by Holman (Holman) Dated : 1710
Desc Text : Essex (Morant, P) Dated : 1768
Desc Text : Fortifications of East Anglia (Kent, P) p.58-59 Dated : 1988
Aerial Photo : SWBW10-3 (Rogers, P) Dated : 1992
Desc Text : Country Parks Archaeological Survey of Cudmore Grove (Gibson, Sarah) Dated : 1994
Desc Text : The Foreshore. Cudmore Grove Country Park, East Mersea, Essex. Archaeological Survey (Heppell, Ellen) Dated : 2002
Desc Text : Cudmore Grove Country Park, Essex. Excavation and Survey Assessment and Updated Project Design (Heppell, Ellen) Dated : 2005
Desc Text : Cudmore Grove Tudor Blockhouse - Condition Assessment and Conservation Management Recommendations (HEM) Dated : 2005
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| View on Map |
