Yarmouth Castle

For the cruise ship which burned and sank off the Bahamas, see SS Yarmouth Castle.

Yarmouth Castle
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England
Yarmouth Castle
Shown within Isle of Wight
Coordinates	50.706667°N 1.500278°W / 50.706667; -1.500278
Built	1547
Current owner	English Heritage
Open to the public	Yes

Yarmouth Castle is a small off-square blockhouse built by Henry VIII in 1547, to guard Yarmouth harbour on the Isle of Wight. It was built as part of Henry's second device programme to fortify the English coast with a chain of coastal defences known as Device Forts or Henrician Castles. These were built to guard against the threat of foreign invasion. As it is a later fortification it did not have the earlier rounded or concentric shape but a square keep with angular bastions. It is now owned by English Heritage.

Further reading

• Colvin, H.M. (ed) (1982). The History of the King's Works, Vol. IV, 1485–1600, Part II.
• Harrington, Peter (2007). The castles of Henry VIII. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 9781846031304
• Morley, B. M. (1976). Henry VIII and the development of coastal defence. London: H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 0116707771
• Rigold, S.E. (2003). Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight. London: English Heritage.

See also

• Henry VIII: Legacy
• Device Forts
• Martello Tower
• Eastbourne Redoubt
• Pevensey Castle
• Dymchurch Redoubt

External links

• Read a detailed historical record on Yarmouth Castle
• Page on English Heritage's website
• Information for teachers: English Heritage