Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Sandown Castle
Hob Uid: 461937
Location : Isle of Wight Sandown
Grid Ref : SZ6039808445
Summary : Sandown Castle was an artillery castle built in 1545 by Henry VIII as part of his chain of coastal defences to defend against possible French or Spanish invasion. It was built to prevent a landing at Sandown Bay. By 1631 part of the castle had already been destroyed by the sea and the decision was taken to demolish it and build a new fort nearby (see record 1395315).Although nothing remains of the castle, its possible foundations can be seen at low tide. Plans and accounts of the castle have survived which provide a good indication of the castle's form. It consisted of a square keep with a curtain wall with two bastions on the landward side and a semi-circular bastion on the seaward which would have supported the main guns. One of the landward bastions was square and the other was angled and was one of the earliest examples of this Italianate style of defences to be used in England.
More information : The first castle at Sandown was built between 1537 and 1540 and formed part of the defence scheme of the southern seaboard. It was of the usual Tudor form with a rear building and a gun platform towards the sea; it had a landing stage. As it was built too near the shore, the sea began to encroach and undermine the walls which by the mid-17th century were in a ruinous state. Charles I had promised in 1627 to have it repaired but after 1631 it was taken down by Sir John Oglander. (1-3) ('A' - SZ 60608425, 'B' - SZ 60388449) 'A' - site of Tudor fort: 'B' - site of 17th cent. fort. (4) Some slight remains of the 17th c. fort were found when the canoe lake (at SZ 60608475) was constructed a few years ago, but the siting for the 16th c. fort is quite conjectural as it lies some distance out to sea. The building accounts for the 17th c. fort survive and Mr Jones is writing a history of it. (5-6) Sandown Castle was built in the late 1530s - 1545, with William Ridgeway as surveyor and John Portinary as captain of labourers. It was demolished in 1631, by which time it had been half-eroded by the sea. Contemporary plans and written descriptions of the castle show that it consisted of a walled courtyard dominated by a square keep, protected to landward by a moat and two bastions, and strengthened on the seaward side by a semi-circular bastion carrying the main ordnance. (See Illustration Card). The site of the castle cannot be accurately located but in 1911 de Boulay claimed that masonry foundations could be seen at very low tides just opposite the coastguard building. This, and the evidence of early maps, suggests a grid reference of SZ 604843. (7-12) Please note detailed information on the castle can be found in the source: "The History of the King's Works". (10) Sandown castle consisted of a square keep and a walled courtyard with two bastions on the landward side and a semi-circular one on the seaward. Sandown is different to other earlier artillery castles as it had rectilinear bastions that flanked the three landward sides of the castle. One of the bastions was angled and may have been the first attempt to develop this new style of fortification. (13)

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Source details : (J Kenyon)
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Source details : Isle of Wight History Topography Antiquities (1870), Adams
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Source details : Mus 6" (F Morley untitled) (Carisbrooke Castle Museum)
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Source details : F1 WW 10-FEB-54
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Source details : Mr J D Jones Curator Carisbrooke Castle Museum
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Source details : F2 ASP 10-OCT-67
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : (J D Jones)
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Vol(s) : 1968

Source Number : 10
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Page(s) : 404, 550-555
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : Demolished 1631
Monument End Date : 1631
Monument Start Date : 1631
Monument Type : Artillery Castle, Bastion, Artillery Fort
Evidence : Documentary Evidence

Monument Period Name : Tudor
Display Date : Built 1545
Monument End Date : 1545
Monument Start Date : 1545
Monument Type : Artillery Castle, Bastion, Artillery Fort
Evidence : Documentary Evidence

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : SZ 68 SW 1
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Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1954-02-10
End Date : 1954-02-10

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1967-10-10
End Date : 1967-10-10

Historic England Research Records

Sandown Castle