Kempt Tower, in La Grande Cueillette,

Saint Ouen Audoin (AD 609 – on 24 August 684; also spelled ''Audoen'', ''Ouen'', ''Owen''; la, Audoenus; known as Dado to contemporaries) was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint. Life Audoin came from a wealthy aristocratic Frankish fami ...

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

, is also known as ''Saint Ouen No. 2'' and ''La Grôsse Tou'' in

Jèrriais (french: Jersiais, also known as the Jersey Language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an island i ...

, and is a

Martello tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

that the British completed in 1834. It is named for Sir

James Kempt General Sir James Kempt, ( – 20 December 1854) was a British Army officer, who served in the Netherlands, Egypt, Italy, the Peninsula, and British North America during the Napoleonic Wars. He led a British brigade at the Battle of Waterloo and ...

, the Master-General of the Ordnance from 1830 to 1834. While governor of Canada, Kempt was involved in the planning for the use of Martello towers to protect the colony. Currently, Kempt Tower serves as the interpretation centre for Les Mielles conservation area.

Design

Kempt Tower has a cam-shaped base, and has a

trefoil A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with four ring ...

gun platform. It too has a thicker-walled side facing the sea.Grimsely (1988), p.43. It is shorter and wider than its near neighbour,

Lewis Tower Aria (formerly known as the Lewis Tower Building) is a 33-story Art Deco skyscraper in Center City Philadelphia designed by the firm Edmund Gilchrist. History and architectural features An exceptionally slender building, is historic structure wa ...

. The interior of the tower is a doughnut-shaped space around a brick column, and has a curved ceiling. The tower measures in height and in diameter.Clements (1999), p.169. The door at ground level represents a modification by the

German occupation of the Channel Islands The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are two island countries and British ...

. The tower itself was armed with a 24-pounder gun and two 24-pounder short guns.Clements (1999), p. 89. In front of the tower there was a paved redoubt that was armed with three 24-pounder guns.

Citations and references

Citations References *Clements, William H. (1998) ''Towers of Strength: Story of Martello Towers''. (London: Pen & Sword). . *Grimsley, E.J. (1988) ''The Historical Development of the Martello Tower in the Channel Islands''. (Sarnian Publications). *Sutcliffe, Sheila (1973) ''Martello Towers''. (Cranbury, NJ: Associated Universities Press). {{DEFAULTSORT:Kempt Tower, Jersey Buildings and structures in Saint Ouen, Jersey Coastal artillery Fortifications in Jersey History of Jersey

Towers in Jersey Martello towers