What is recorded here

Dartmouth Castle is a scheduled monument in Devon because it is one of the oldest purpose-built coast artillery forts in Britain. The 1380s fortalice faced the Dart estuary, and the late 15th-century gun tower and harbour chain turned a small coastal defence into a weaponised gateway. Ships could still be imagined entering past stones that had long stopped fearing ordinary sails.

The National Heritage List for England records Dartmouth Castle as a scheduled monument. The saved point comes from the centre supplied by the official record. Listing does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Dartmouth Castle was built by the Order of St John in the 14th century, specifically between 1301 and 1311, to protect the River Dart and control access to the port of Dartmouth. It is important as a well-preserved example of a medieval coastal defence and as a key site in the history of maritime trade and military strategy in southern England.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.