Martello Towers were favored by the Duke of Wellington, the
Commander in Chief of the British Army, as colonial defenses.
Unique because their height was greater than their base diameter,
Martello Towers were oblong structures, strongly built of locally
quarried dressed or natural stone mortared with lime cement. They
were built to a height (approximately nine meters) that could
overlook all low huts and tents and offer command by musketry of a
radius of between 182 and 274 meters. This tower, one of only two
built more than two miles from the coast, was begun in 1837 and
completed about six years later – at an estimated cost of 1 169
pounds. Both the tower and the fort of which it was a part were
manned until 1869. It’s ironic that the tower was built to
withstand a tremendous batting from cannon balls – yet the Xhosa,
Khoi and other indigenous peoples never possessed or used such
weapons. In its way, therefore, it is a compliment to the
determination and fighting prowess of the Xhosa that the British
felt the need to defend themselves with a tower of this
particularly robust kind. The tower was declared a national
monument in 1938.
Adjacent to the Tower you will find the Officer’s quarters that
was built in 1849. Today it is currently used as municipal
offices.
The cache is a 250ml Vitiam Bottle located near the tower.