The martello tower was created as defense against seabourne
raiders (and invasion) after an illuminating battle off the
coast of Corsica in 1794. In this battle, a tower of small
height (about 15 feet) stood off a squadron of British
naval vessels for about 3 days, allowing French/Corsican
infantry elements to deploy and prevent a landing in
reconnaissance force for the support of Corsican rebels.

There were 74 Towers built along the southern coast of
England. The political significance of the towers has been
understated. They were primarily used as defenses against
smuggling during the early 19th century. In 1830, a second
French Invasion scare caused the rebuilding and outfitting
of the towers. During WWI, the existence of the towers was
considered a deterrent to German invasion attempts. During
WWII, the towers were used as advance warning sites for
German aircraft during the Battle of Britain


My turn....tomorrow.