Tour Carre
Tour Carre
This is not strictly a coastal tower. Of unique design, it nevertheless forms part of the 18th century ring of defences around the island's coast
This is a fortified guardhouse and magazine opposite St Ouen's Pond. States Minutes record that on 20August 1739 the South, Middle, and North Boulevards had been completed. A map of 1779 shows a four gun Redoubt on the site.
Also shown is a water mill which was a rallying point for Militia troops at the sounding of an alarm. In 1778 the Boulevard had the addition of a square tower. In 1787 it was armed with 3 x 24pdrs on a stone platform which it kept until the dismantling of the batteries between 1815 and 1817. They stood on a paved surface in front of the Square Fort. Shingle now covers this surface. The tower and battery played a role in the repelling in 1779 of the Prince of Nassau's attempt to land a force at Jersey. It was manned by the Jersey Militia.
HER entry
Along with all Jersey's other coastal towers and historic fortifications it is a listed building, described as follows in the Jersey Heritage Historic Environment Record website:
Outstanding example of late 18th century fortification - in unusual style of a blockhouse.
La Tour Cârrée retains its historical authenticity and completeness, with the architectural integrity of the building close to its original form and physical context. It was built on the coast of St Ouen's Bay in front of St Ouen's Pond. It is a fortified guardhouse (in the style of a blockhouse) built circa 1778.
It was built as part of the programme of increased fortification of the Island's coast in response to the threat of French invasion in the later 18th century. The building has been variously known as La Tour Carrée, Square Fort, Square Tower and Guardhouse at North Battery.
Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795, the guardhouse is single-storey, L-plan comprising a square guardroom on the seaward side with an adjoining rectangular magazine store to the rear. It has battered outer walls of squared and rubble granite with dressed granite openings and quoins. There is a mono-pitch roof behind a masonry parapet.
The seaward elevation of the guardroom is painted black and white as a navigational aid.
There is a pair of square gun embrasures placed either side of an internal fireplace. A brick wall - on which sits a small brick chimneystack with stout pot - rises above and behind the parapet.
The south elevation has a row of five square gun embrasures. The north side of the building is L-shaped. There is a brick arched doorway into the guardroom with a pair of square gun embrasures to one side. A square headed doorway into the magazine store sits at a right angle to this on the projecting section of the magazine stores. The landward elevation has no openings, being the rear wall of the magazine store.
The interior is divided into a guardroom and magazine. The doorway into the guardroom is of dressed granite with a brick arch and large timber lintel (reinforced with a thinner concrete lintel of apparently later date). There is a granite threshold. The interior of the guardroom is now a single space open to the roof but physical evidence - such as beam pockets - shows that there was originally a ceiling.
The walls are of squared and rubble granite with a course of brickwork just above ceiling height. There are gun embrasures on the west, south and north walls - all of dressed granite. On the west wall is a granite fireplace with a pair of projecting moulded corbels, single span lintel and granite hood (although some stones have been displaced). There is a small niche by the right hand corbel. The east wall separates the guardroom from the magazine. The doorway into the magazine store is of dressed granite with a pair of granite lintels. There is a niche within the reveal.
The interior of the magazine store is arranged into two cells - both have squared and rubble granite walls with a brick vault and earth/sand floors. The doorway accesses an outer entrance cell beyond which is an internal doorway of dressed granite, through which access is gained to an enclosed inner cell. There are several niches set into the walls - some being baffled ventilation slots.
Conservation statement
In 2006 Jersey Heritage Trust commissioned a comprehensive conservation statement for Tour Carre, which includes the photographs below
