The two 1851 gun towers stand at opposite corners of the Dockyard. They, with the Pater Battery, were for close quarter defence of the yard.

 

Their 32 and 12 lb guns could be swung to fire seawards or, in case of a land attack, along the straight roads flanking the Dockyard wall. visitors to Front Street may see the ammunition delivery system - narrow spiral staircases, up which soldiers would have to carry armfuls of charges as quickly as possible.

 

In the late nineteenth century the Front Street tower was home for a sergeant of artillery and his family. Later, it was used for for storage. It is now refurbished as the town's museum. The Fort Road tower is also in the process of restoration, as a historic private dwelling.

 

(Sources: Watts; Clements 129-133