CROMWELL'S CASTLE

Tresco, Isles of Scilly

Cromwell's Castle is generally regarded as the very last defensive Castle built in England.  It is little more than a circular tower, with a slight bastion on the seaward side.

When the Scilly Isles rebelled against Parliament's rule in 1561, the New Model Army arrived on Tresco and took King Charles' Castle, on the hill above Cromwell's Castle, smashing it to pieces in the process.  A year later Cromwell's Castle was constructed to protect the highly strategic passage between the islands of Tresco and Bryher (there is an Iron Age fortification on Bryher serving the same purpose).

No action ever seems to have occurred at the Castle, which had a garrison of 20 men, and today it stands as the best example of fortification of its period.  The only Castle constructed during the British Commonwealth.

Both Castles stand on the island of Tresco and are free to visit.  The island is a jewel amongst many other beautiful islands.

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2018