Summary

The remains of a C15/C16 town wall built as protection for business interests against French raids. It is constructed of coursed limestone and overlooks Plymouth Sound.

Source: Historic England

Details

This site includes part of the town walls of Stonehouse and is situated on a limestone cliff overlooking Plymouth Sound to the south. The town itself was to the north. The surviving visible length of walling measures up to 110m long and is constructed of roughly coursed rubble limestone and stands up to 4.5m high. In the central section it retains a battlemented parapet and sentry walk. The south side has a crenellated top and limestone string course below, which represented the location of the wall-walk on the other side. There is a granite gun-port close to modern ground level, now blocked. The north side originally had a wall walk, and only a small section of this survives, in the middle of the surviving length of wall. Quarrying to the ground on the right side of wall has led to an 8.5m drop between the wall and the quarry floor.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Stonehouse Town Wall is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Rarity: as a late C15 or early C16 town wall, linked to a blockhouse, the monument is unusual nationally as an example of a civic defensive work;
* Survival: although reduced by later alterations and the removal or decay of some features, it survives reasonably well;
* Potential: it retains potential for improving our understanding of this type of construction.
* Group value: with the Western Kings Artillery Tower and blockhouse C15/C16 defences built by the Edgecumbe family (both a scheduled monument, National Heritage List for England 1003849 and a listed building Grade II, NHLE entry 1129960).

Source: Historic England