St Mawes Castle and its larger sister castle, Pendennis, were built as part of a defensive chain of fortresses by Henry VIII to protect the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. This chain of coastal fortifications are known as Henrician Castles or Device Forts.
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St Mawes Castle was built between 1539 and 1545, half way down the hillside on the eastern shore of the River Fal estuary to provide protection to the large inland expanse of water known as the Carrick Roads, near Falmouth (which is the third largest natural harbour in the world). St Mawes was constructed with a central tower overlooking three huge circular bastions attached on the sides in a clover leaf pattern, providing a wide area for gun placements, with gun ports covering every angle of approach to the estuary.
In 1999 there was some controversy regarding this site and others under the care of the English Heritage organisation. Members of a pressure group, the Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament, removed several signs bearing the English Heritage name.[1][2] The men responsible were due to face charges of conspiring to cause criminal damage over the removal of the signs, many of which had also been defaced. The men agreed to be bound over for a year in the sum of £500 each. They had also paid English Heritage £4,500 compensation.[3]
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