Dartmouth Castle

Over het museum

Dartmouth Castle stands on the water at the narrow entrance to the Dart Estuary and has guarded the harbour for over 600 years. In 1388 the mayor of Dartmouth, John Hawley, received authority from Richard II to raise money for a fortified building by the sea. A small castle was built around the chapel of St Petroc, but it never saw active service. A new artillery tower was begun in 1481 and finished in 1495, and an iron chain could be stretched from it across the harbour. It is regarded as the oldest known purpose-built coastal artillery fort in Britain.

In the 1540s, when France threatened to invade, Henry VIII's government added gun batteries and a bulwark, and the defences were improved again during the Spanish threat of 1597. The castle was captured during the Civil War in 1643, and in January 1646 its commander surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax. The Grand Battery was armed with twelve guns in 1748 and rebuilt in 1859–61 as the Dartmouth Point Battery.

The War Office handed the castle to the Office of Works in 1909, which restored it and opened it to visitors. In the Second World War it was fitted with two 4.7-inch guns to protect convoys and a shipyard. It was retired from service in 1955 and reopened to the public, and English Heritage now looks after it. Visitors climb the gun tower, see the harbour chain display, explore the dark passages of the Victorian battery and watch a sound and light scene of a gun crew at work.

Hoogtepunten

• Gun tower of 1495 with roof-top views over the estuary
• Harbour chain basement with an animation of how it worked
• Sound and light display in the Victorian gun battery
• Passageways of the Dartmouth Point Battery
• Displays of weapons and armour that visitors can handle

Vaste collectie

• Gun tower and harbour chain – Four levels of the 15th-century gun tower with a roof platform, and the basement where the harbour chain was kept, with an animation of how it may have worked.
• Weapons and armour displays – Displays of weaponry and armour where visitors can try on helmets and handle cannonballs and shot.
• Sound and light installation – A display in the Victorian gun battery showing a crew preparing to fire one of the big guns.

Opgericht

1388

Beheerder

English Heritage

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices depend on the date and are lowest when booked online until midnight the day before (off-peak adult £8.50; standard days £9.26; peak days £10.79). Tickets bought on the day cost more, with an adult gate price of £10.00 off-peak, £10.90 standard and £12.70 peak. Prices shown exclude the optional donation. English Heritage members enter free.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: niet aanwezig
• Aangepast toilet: niet aanwezig
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: niet aanwezig
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Access for wheelchair users is very restricted because of slopes, staircases and many steps, and a companion is recommended. The upper floors of the gun tower are reached by narrow, steep spiral staircases, the shop has four steps and most paths are very uneven and can be slippery when wet. There is no lift. One induction loop is fitted in the shop. A wheelchair can be borrowed, and there is seating at the Gun Battery and the Gun Tower. One disabled parking space is in the nearby pay-and-display car park, which English Heritage does not manage. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk: niet aanwezig

Families can handle weapons used to defend the fortress, try on helmets and handle cannonballs, and young visitors can follow an activity trail and a World Builder Challenge trail. There is a book box in the gun tower, and bottle and food warming and child-sized portions are available. Pushchairs should be left at the top of the site because there are many steps.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The castle is about 1 mile south-east of Dartmouth, off the B3205; sat nav postcode TQ6 0JN. From Totnes take the A379 for about 2 miles, turn left onto Weeke Hill at the brown sign and then right onto Castle Road.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

A tearoom with estuary views, not run by English Heritage, serves cream teas, sandwiches, some hot meals and drinks. The shop sells gifts, books, toys, stationery, food and guidebooks. Toilets are available but are not managed by English Heritage. There are benches and a small lawn for picnics. Smoking, vaping, barbecues and naked flames are not allowed.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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