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Castle
Dartmouth Castle
Artillery fort guarding the mouth of the Dart, begun in the 1380s and later given an early purpose-built gun tower.
A mini guide to
Dartmouth, Totnes & the Dart
Castles at the river mouth, a naval college and a market town at the head of the Dart estuary
Photos
1 / 7Welcome to the area
Castles at the river mouth, a naval college and a market town at the head of the Dart estuary
Dartmouth lies on the western bank of the Dart estuary, a long tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes. Dartmouth Castle, begun in the 1380s, and Kingswear Castle on the far bank were built to guard the harbour mouth, and Bayard's Cove Fort, a 16th-century blockhouse, stands on the quay. Britannia Royal Naval College, whose buildings were completed in 1905, looks down on the town.
Totnes, at the head of the estuary, has a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, a Tudor guildhall and an Elizabethan merchant's house that is now the town museum. Downriver are two National Trust houses: Greenway, once Agatha Christie's home, and Coleton Fishacre, an Arts and Crafts house with a 24-acre garden. Dartington Hall's 14th-century buildings are just outside Totnes.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Fort
Bayard's Cove Fort
Sixteenth-century artillery blockhouse on the Dartmouth quay with eleven gunports, managed by English Heritage.
Landmark
Britannia Royal Naval College
The Royal Navy's officer training college, on a hill above Dartmouth; the current buildings were completed in 1905.
Directions Report a problem with Britannia Royal Naval College
Museum
Dartmouth Museum
Port history museum in a merchant's house on the Butterwalk where Charles II held court in 1671.
Church
St Saviour's Church
Grade I listed parish church in the centre of Dartmouth.
Castle
Kingswear Castle
Artillery fort of 1491 to 1502 opposite Dartmouth Castle, now let as a holiday home by the Landmark Trust.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Dartmouth, Totnes & the Dart and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Do the Round Robin
The operator's Round Robin links Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes by steam train, river boat and bus in one day.
2
No train to Greenway
Trains have not stopped at Greenway Halt since March 2020, so plan another way to reach the house.
3
Kingswear Castle is a holiday let
The Landmark Trust lets the castle as holiday accommodation, so see it from the coast path or the water.
4
Free museum in Totnes
Totnes Museum, in an Elizabethan merchant's house of about 1575, is free to enter.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
Everything for Dartmouth, Totnes & the Dart
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Dartmouth, Totnes & the Dart (area photo): Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dartmouth Castle: Troxx, Public domain, source
- Bayard's Cove Fort: Troxx, Public domain, source
- Britannia Royal Naval College: Andrew Yong at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dartmouth Museum: PJMarriott, CC BY 3.0, source
- St Saviour's Church: Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kingswear Castle: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Coleton Fishacre: Waterborough, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dartmouth Steam Railway: Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Totnes Castle: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Totnes Museum: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- St Mary's Church, Totnes: User:Wigulf, CC BY 2.5, source
- Totnes Guildhall: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dartington Hall: Herbythyme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dartmoor: Addshore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Exmoor & Lynmouth: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Exeter: Rüdiger Wölk, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Plymouth: Herbythyme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Torquay, Paignton & Brixham: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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