14.10.2025, 18:00 P.M.

Martello Towers: a global Georgian fortification phenomenon by Dr Jason Bolton.

This is the second talk in the Water & Ireland's Architectural Heritage autumn Conservation Education talk series.

Abstract: Martello Towers were built on five continents as part of a worldwide programme of fortification building to protect locations considered both militarily and economically vital for the continuing prosperity and security of the British Empire. The towers are found around the globe, in Ireland, England and the Mediterranean and along the trade routes to Africa, India, Australia and the Americas. This talk will discuss their origins, the construction and varying designs of Irish towers and their relationships with towers built elsewhere in the world, their positioning and impact on the landscape, as well as their later history of change, abandonment and adaptation.

Dr Jason Bolton has worked professionally as a conservation consultant since 1998 specialising in the conservation of historic buildings and archaeological monuments, and the author/co-author of six books and a wide range of papers, including co-author of 'The Martello Towers of Dublin'. Jason was educated in Trinity College Dublin, TU Dublin and Kings Inns in Ireland, with additional specialist postgraduate training in architectural conservation in Venice, Athens, Lisbon, Thessaloniki and Vienna.

Image: Martello Tower, Dalkey Island, County Dublin (image courtesy of Dr Jason Bolton)