Martello towers
28 janvier 2013 16:38 0 messages
Inspired by the Genovese towers which had been built all along Corsican coasts in the 15th and 16 centuries : a picture by Irene, near her guests’ house.
Based on a diagram by the Friends of the Environment, Mauritius ; by ChrisO.
During the first half of the 19th century, the British government embarked on a large-scale programme of building Martello towers to guard the British and Irish coastlines. Around 140 were built, mostly along the south coast of England.
Governments in Australia, Canada, Minorca, South Africa and Sri Lanka also constructed towers.
The construction of Martello towers abroad continued until as late as the 1870s but was discontinued after it became clear that they could not withstand the new generation of rifled artillery weapons.
The French built similar towers along their own coastline that they used as platforms for communication by optical telegraphs (using the Chappe Telegraph).
The United States government also built a number of Martello towers along the east coast of the US that copied the British design with some modifications. Source : wikipedia
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