Breckmanchine Tower

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the cliff edge in the garden of No 2 Rock Houses overlooking Iron Bar Sands.

History

Detached defensive tower probably never part of a continuous seaward wall but a single platform to defend the Breckmanchine inlet. Infilled over the years such that the outer shell only is visible and that overgrown with creeper. Norris shows the turret between 2 short stretches of walling, some 6m to the NW and 1.5m to the E. Dated by Laws to the late C13, but by Thomas to the major refurbishment of the defences in 1457. Laws in 1896 describes the interior as being infilled almost to the top, reached by 5 steps from the garden. He describes an entrance to the roof on the E side 'about 2' (0.6m) wide, which added to the 7' (2.1m) of town wall makes a base of 9' (2.7m) from E to W. The diameter from the centre to the middle of the semicircular S wall is 8' (2.4m). From the top of the tower to the lowest line of masonry is about 18' (5.4m). There is a large plain loop near the bottom, looking SE, and an oillet on the same level looking SW. Both must have been served from the basement. About 4' (1.2m) from the top there is a line of corbels. Probably the oillet was inserted.' Thomas in 1993 describes it as 'built against the cliff face..too slender to have any internal usable space: only 9'6" by 8' (2.85 by 2.4m) within the parapet, so that if walls 2' 6" (0.78m) are assumed, any space below the corbelled-out parapet would be no more than 4' 6" by 3' (1.35 by 0.9m)...This is no tower but a fighting platform at the level of the parapet.... Ivy makes it impossible to confirm Laws's description of shooting slits to a "basement".

Exterior

Rubble stone curved bastion with corbelled parapet, much overgrown with ivy.

Reason for designation

Included as a defensive tower, part of the medieval walls of Tenby. Scheduled Ancient Monument 16/2073/P007 (PEM).