St Mawes Castle
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The best preserved and most elaborately decorated of Henry VIII’s coastal fortresses, St Mawes was built to counter invasion threats from France and Spain. Its counterpart was Pendennis, on the other side of the Fal estuary (see p.108). The clover-leaf shaped fort fell easily to landward attack by Parliamentarian forces in 1646, and was not properly refortified until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Other coastal forts built by Henry VIII include Portland, Deal and Walmer Castles. | |||||||||||||||||||||