Jaywick Martello Tower
The tower is a historical curiosity, more than an art destination, with the gallery space occasionally exhibiting artworks by community art groups, both professional and amateur. We do not routinely list their exhibitions so check their web page (below) for what's on at any given time.
Jaywick Martello Tower was built in 1809, one of 29 Martello towers raised along the east coast against the threat of invasion by Napoleon. Its walls are two to three metres thick and it stands about ten metres high.
Essex County Council bought the tower in 2002 and renovated it into an arts and heritage space, which opened to the public in 2005. The ground floor houses a permanent exhibition on the tower's history, the first floor is a temporary arts space showing a changing programme of exhibitions, and the roof holds a reading room and a replica cannon. A poem by Julia Bird, written with tower staff, residents and visitors, runs across the windows of the roof room.