Morwenstow Signal Station

Fortlet

There is evidence of a small Roman fortlet or lookout post situated on Higher Sharpnose Point just west of Morwenstow. This fortlet and a similar one located a few miles to the south at St. Gennys, are thought to belong to the early invasion period prior to the Roman conquest of Wales, and were evidently built to keep a close watch on coastal traffic in the Bristol Channel.

The sea cliffs in the area are the tallest in Cornwall, rising a sheer 450 feet (c.150 m) above the rocky shoreline. There are other, similar Roman stations further east along the coast at Old Burrow and Martinhoe, both in Devon.

References for Morwenstow

  • Roman Britain and the Roman Navy by David J.F. Mason (Tempus, Stroud, 2003) fig.30 and accompanying text;
  • The New Shell Guide to England edited by John Hadfield (BCA, London, 1981), p.322.

Map References for Morwenstow

NGRef: SS2015 OSMap: LR190

Roman Roads near Morwenstow

None identified

Sites near Morwenstow Signal Station