Cromwell’s Castle is an artillery fort located on Tresco Island in the Scilly Archipelago overlooking New Grimsby Harbour. It is a high round artillery tower accompanied by an artillery platform and was created with the aim of protecting the harbor from possible attacks by enemy naval vessels.
The castle was built in two stages. First, between 1651 and 1652, Sir Robert Blake erected the tower after the parliamentary invasion of the islands during the civil war in England. Master Artilleryman Abraham Tovey then added an artillery platform to the castle around 1739, during the War of Jenkins’ Ear.
Since the tower has lost its original importance, it has been managed by English Heritage and is open to tourists.
Cromwell Castle is a historic artillery tower built at the initiative of Sir Robert Blake after the Parliamentary invasion of the Isles of Scilly in 1651.
During the English Civil War, which lasted from 1642 to 1646, the inhabitants of the islands were loyalists and supported King Charles I. In 1648 they rebelled against Parliament in support of Charles.
Tresco Island became a base for royalist privateers and Parliament was concerned that the Dutch, who were hostile to England, might use the situation to their advantage. There was also the risk that Irish royalist forces might use the islands as a starting point for an attack on England. In this regard, in 1651, Parliament sent Robert Blake and his naval forces to regain control of the islands, which had been fortified by the royalists.