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| Reviews and photos of Harwich attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Harwich sightseeing. Harwich Map |
 | Harwich Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 12 |  |
This round fort, actually a large Martello Tower, was built between the years of 1808 & 1810 to defend the area and port against a Napoleonic invasion. A Redoubt was a military fortification capable of withstanding a lengthy siege, was claimed to be bomb proof and possessed considerable firepower. Three were originally built, this one being the only one North of the Thames.
Now a museum, it only costs £1 to gain access to this historic site.
The picture that is shown is actually a postcard and shows the fort from the air, as it was, before renovation.
For those people who are interested, the name and idea of a "Martello tower" originated from an ancient stone tower in the Bay Of Martella, Corsica which held out against a British Naval attack. Leave a Comment Phone: 01255 503429Directions: Behind 29 Main Road, Harwich. It is clearly marked by a brown tourist board sign pointing towards the fort.Website: http://www.harwich-society.com
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In 1861, the Redoubt was remodelled to take much bigger 12 ton RML guns (one is shown in the picture). This gun is named “The Gilbert Gun”, named after the leader of the action group who found the gun buried in the moat in 1969. He was involved in every stage of its recovery, until the gun was mounted in its current position on the wall of the Redoubt, looking out over the port.
This gun was number 562 and came from the Royal Gun Factory in London. It was a 9-inch rifle muzzle loader (RML), is 13 foot long and weighs 12 tons. It had an outside range of 4000 yards but was only accurate to 2000 yards. It recoiled 9 foot when fired. Leave a Comment
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In 1902, the gun enclosures were updated to take QF guns (whatever they were! Looks a bit like anti aircraft guns). Despite the times that the Redoubt was upgraded, it has never fired a shot in anger and fell into disuse in the 1920’s. Leave a Comment
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One word of warning as you look around the displays. The door frames are quite low so mind your head as you pass under them! Leave a Comment
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The Old Town of Harwich has got a pub pretty much on every corner (and a few in between too), which makes for a lot of pubs in such a small town. Each and every one of these pubs has its own individual character and all are worth a visit if you like proper pubs as opposed to the pubco clones which normally dominate small-town Essex.
The jewel-in-the-crown though definitely has to be The New Bell Inn which is a "proper pub" par excellence. The pub's front door leads straight into the front bar and straight to the trio of handpumps situated admidships behind it - as good a welcome to a pub as I could ever wish. Immediately noticable too is the lack of intrusive musak or wide-screen televisions which in too many places these days seem to have been substituted for the simple pleasure of daily banter and wisecracking from both sides of the bar. Yep, this is that sort of pub where conversations ebb and flow as naturally as the waves washing on the not too distant shoreline and strangers feel immediately at home.
With a choice of three real ales, including one from the local Harwich Town Brewery (plus the usual lagers and stuff - though I think I did notice the real Czech Budvar on offer) and a nice simple little lunch menu I was definitely where I wanted to be for the remainder of the afternoon's drinking session!! My only regret was that I had already had lunch round the corner and to rub salt into the wounds here on the specials board was the crab salad which The Ship said was unavailable on its!
Ach well a few beers were had, genial company enjoyed and my ferry time eased a little closer :0)
Oh and BTW I just love the address! Leave a Comment
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The Redoubt is 180ft (55mtr) in diameter with walls 3ft (1mtr) thick and is surrounded by a dry moat, which is 20ft (6mtr) deep. The Redoubt is approached by a drawbridge, which is now fixed in place. Leave a Comment
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The nicest thing to do in Harwich is to walk down to Dovercourt, the equally small twin town down by the estuary itself, and have a look at the huge Felixstowe docks across the water. You get some of the maritime atmosphere down here with a lighthouse and some old shipping history since Harwich was once a naval centre and also had a shipping yard. Leave a Comment
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The rooms around the parade ground now house memories of the Great Wars and also have interesting displays showing how the Redoubt was renovated. Leave a Comment
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There is a central parade area sitting inside the walls that is 85ft (26mtr) in diameter.
The Redoubt was armed with ten 24-pounder cannons with 5 hoists installed to haul the ammunition up from the magazines below. Eighteen rooms were recessed in to the walls, which housed the troops, their stores and ammunition, surrounding the central parade area. A well in the centre of the Parade Ground provided drinking water and the Redoubt could hold up to 300 troops in time of siege. Leave a Comment
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These guns do not actually belong in the Redoubt. They are on loan to the Redoubt Museum from the Norfolk Museum Service and date from around 1780. The gun on the left is a 1.5 pounder smooth bore cannon and the one on the left is a 4 pounder. I have included them so that you can comapre the size with the gun in the next tip. Leave a Comment
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on August 5, 2003
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