England's Martello Towers were built on the south and east coasts between the years 1804 and 1812. They were fortified buildings with guns and a small garrison designed as part of the country's defences against a Napoleonic invasion. The tower at Aldburgh, Suffolk was the last to be built. In plan view it is four intersecting circles (a quatrefoil), on each of which a large cannon was mounted. The structure required about a million bricks. Today this building is managed by the Landmark Trust and can be hired as a rather different holiday cottage.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Canon 5D2 2012
