Redoubt 5

Overview

Redoubt 5 is one of five historic forts built at Maker Heights in the late 1700s to defend Plymouth and Devonport from a possible French and Spanish attack. Set high on the hill above Cawsand Bay, it was part of a military line designed to protect the Royal Navy’s vital dockyards. Like the others, it began as a simple platform for cannons, but was later strengthened with stone walls and barrack rooms. It’s special because it shows how coastal defences changed over time and it’s one of the best surviving examples from that period in Cornwall.

Redoubt 5 was part of Cornwall National Landscape’s A Monumental Improvement Project, which aimed to ensure that 40 scheduled monuments across Cornwall National Landscape were better protected, identified and enjoyed by a wider range of people. Between 2022 – 2025, the Project delivered conservation repairs, installed new heritage interpretation signage, ran a range of community volunteering events and developed new website resources. The Project was primarily funded thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with support from our other partners – Cornwall Council, Historic England, The National Trust, Cornwall Heritage Trust and Cornwall Archaeological Society.

Historical Significance

Redoubt 5 was built during a time when Britain feared invasion from France and Spain. Its job was to help protect Plymouth Dockyard, which was one of the most important naval bases in the country. Together with the other redoubts on Maker Heights, it formed part of a strong line of defences across the hilltop. What makes Redoubt 5 especially important is how well it still shows the shape and structure of these 18th-century forts. It helps us understand how people prepared for war back then, even though it never actually saw battle.