King Charles's Castle, Tudor artillery castle on Tresco Island, England
King Charles's Castle is a stone fortification on Tresco Island with an unusual polygonal shape and gun positions facing outward from the front. Residential rooms sit behind these defenses and overlook New Grimsby Harbour and the surrounding waters.
The fortress was built between 1550 and 1554 under Edward VI to defend against French threats to the Isles of Scilly. Its construction marked an important step in strengthening English control over these strategic waters.
The castle displays Tudor military design with its distinctive polygonal shape and gun placements that controlled the waters around Tresco Island. This layout reflects how the fortress was meant to protect the islands from seaborne attacks during a tense period in English history.
The fortress sits on the highest western point of Castle Down and requires sturdy footwear to reach it. From this location, coastal walking paths branch out in different directions for further exploration.
The construction required around 540 oak trees transported from South Wales, revealing the enormous resources needed for such military buildings. Sourcing timber across these distances was itself a major logistical undertaking for the period.
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