Castles · South West England
Bayard's Cove Fort
In or near Kingswear.
Bayard's Cove Fort — castle in Devon, England, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Kingswear · 0.4 km
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit Bayard's Cove Fort, the nearest railway station is Kingswear, located 0.4 km away. Admission is paid, and wheelchair accessibility is limited. The postcode for sat-nav is TQ6 9AX.
About
Bayard's Cove Fort is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Owned by English Heritage. Managed by English Heritage. Part of Device Forts. Wikidata describes it as: "castle in Devon, England, UK". Coordinates: 50.3479°, -3.5775°.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2024
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
Heritage listing
Bayard's Cove Fort, also known historically as Berescove or Bearscore Castle, is an English 16th-century artillery blockhouse, built to defend the harbour entrance at Dartmouth in Devon. Constructed in the early part of the century, it had eleven gunports for heavy artillery and was intended to engage enemy vessels that broke past the external defences of the Dartmouth and Kingswear castles. It remained armed during the English Civil War, but was neglected in the 18th century and used for storage.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
From English Heritage
Picturesquely sited on the quayside at Dartmouth, this Tudor artillery fort once contained heavy guns to protect the prosperous harbour town from attack.
Read more on the official property page.
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: South Devon
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Bayard's Cove Fort, also known historically as Berescove or Bearscore Castle, is an English 16th-century artillery blockhouse, built to defend the harbour entrance at Dartmouth in Devon. Constructed in the early part of the century, it had eleven gunports for heavy artillery and was intended to engage enemy vessels that broke past the external defences of the Dartmouth and Kingswear castles. It remained armed during the English Civil War, but was neglected in the 18th century and used for storage. The fort was restored in the late 19th century and is now managed by English Heritage and open to visitors.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
The fort comprises a stone blockhouse, probably built in at least two phases, with the original, circular design altered at a later date to form a more irregular shape. The exterior eastern wall is now 6 ft thick and 15 ft high. It would originally have had a wall-walk and parapet to protect musketeers. One of the gunports has been converted to form an entrance, and another has been blocked off. The original lean-to accommodation for the garrison lay on the west hand side of the fortification but this, and the internal modifications from its later use as a storage facility, have since been destroyed.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.3479, -3.5775
- County
- Devon
- District
- South Hams
- Parish
- Dartmouth
- Postcode
- TQ6 9AX
- Parliamentary constituency
- South Devon
- Nearest railway station
- Kingswear — 0.4 km
- Opening
- Open daily all year round during day light hours.
- Official site
- www.english-heritage.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q812103 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Bayard's Cove Fort (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Bayards Cove Fort04.JPG (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
Bayards Cove Inn
Historic pubs · 0.1 km
19th Century Cannon
Memorials & monuments · 0.1 km
Dartmouth Yacht Club Pontoon (Summer only)
Piers · 0.2 km
Dartmouth Yacht Club Pontoon (Summer only)
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The Cherub
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Royal Dart Hotel
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Kingswear
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The Crab
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Dartmouth, Devon
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Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Kingswear
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Church of St Saviour
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Dartmouth railway station
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Bayard's Cove Fort?
- Bayard's Cove Fort is in Devon, South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TQ6 9AX), in the parish of Dartmouth.
- What is Bayard's Cove Fort?
- Bayard's Cove Fort — castle in Devon, England, UK.
- How do I get to Bayard's Cove Fort?
- The nearest railway station is Kingswear, about 0.4 km away. Drivers can use postcode TQ6 9AX.
- Who runs Bayard's Cove Fort?
- Bayard's Cove Fort is operated by English Heritage.
- Is Bayard's Cove Fort a listed building?
- Bayard's Cove Fort is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Bayard's Cove Fort a protected site?
- Yes — Bayard's Cove Fort is part of the South Devon National Landscape (AONB).
- Does Bayard's Cove Fort charge admission?
- Bayard's Cove Fort typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Bayard's Cove Fort?
- The nearest railway station is Kingswear, about 0.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode TQ6 9AX.