Statutory Address: 10 The Haven, Hull, HU9 1TH
Coordinates: 53°44’32″N 0°19’20″W
Description of Location –
The reconstructed watchtower is located on Victoria Dock village. It is redeveloped land which previously held Victoria Dock, 1850-1987, and Hull Citadel (completed in c.1690-1864) before that.
Details –
Erected: c.1690, moved to East Park, Holderness Road in 1912 and its current location in 1990.
Listed: The buried remains under part of Victoria Dock, including the site of the reconstructed watchtower, are listed as a Scheduled Monument
Monument Type: Historical Interest
Associated Site(s): Not applicable
Inscription(s): “2003. This 17th century watchtower marks the east point of Hull Citadel built 1681-90. The citadel was a massive triangular fort incorporating earlier defences alongside the river Hull. It was levelled in 1863-64. Hull Civic Society.”
There is also an information board attached to the site, a picture of which can be found below:
Description: The citadel watchtower consists of a white cylindrical tower jutting out over a corner section of red brick wall with white stone detailing. There is a blue plaque fixed to the side of the watchtower. The citadel was constructed on the order of Charles II in 1680, although an earlier curtain wall defence along the east bank of the river Hull, constructed by Henry VIII, was included in the later citadel design. Hull was considered both an important port for trade and a coastal strongpoint defensively as to receive royal military attention.
Additional Resources –
“Hull Castle, South Blockhouse and Part of Late 17th Century Hull Citadel Fort at Garrison Site,” Historic England, 16 March 1972, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020426?section=official-list-entry.
Audrey Howes and Martin Foreman, Town and Gun: The 17th-century Defences of Hull (Kingston upon Hull: Kingston Press, 1999).
Colin McNicol, “The History of Victoria Dock,” Victoria Dock Village Hall and Community Centre, accessed 1 January 2024, https://www.vdvh.co.uk/the-history-of-victoria-dock.
David Neave and Susan Neave, “The Merchants’ Golden Age, 1650-1775,” in Hull: Culture, History, Place, ed. David J. Starkey et al. (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2017), 90-92.
English Heritage, East Park – Registered Park (London: English Heritage, 20 April 2001), accessed 1 January 2024, https://www.hull.gov.uk/downloads/file/1440/east-park.