Severndroog Castle

Severndroog Castle is a <a href="/facts/Folly/vNDGWdQ8">folly</a> designed by <a href="/facts/Architect/pv0f9bYq">architect</a> <a href="/facts/Richard_Jupp/gn9Bj7H0">Richard Jupp</a>, with the first stone laid on 2 April 1784.
While commonly referred to as a castle due to its turrets, it was built as a folly, as can be discerned by its small size and because it has never functioned as a castle. It is situated in Castle Wood, on <a href="/facts/Shooter%2527s_Hill/ggb3ybDG">Shooter's Hill</a> in south-east <a href="/facts/London/KozCCsy9">London</a> in the <a href="/facts/Royal_Borough_of_Greenwich/eXL0hRzl">Royal Borough of Greenwich</a>.
It was built to commemorate Commodore Sir <a href="/facts/William_James_(naval_commander)/x3bznyHh">William James</a> who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of <a href="/facts/Suvarnadurg/4JLGjohU">Suvarnadurg</a> (then rendered in <a href="/facts/English_language/tpkxGt7b">English</a>: Severndroog) of the <a href="/facts/Maratha_Empire/lwSD5RGx">Maratha Empire</a> on the western coast of India, between <a href="/facts/Mumbai/BdoEc10R">Mumbai</a> and <a href="/facts/Goa/tTfJfNh3">Goa</a>. James died in 1783 and the folly was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of <a href="/facts/Eltham%2c_London/PRVPh9na">Eltham</a>.
Designated a Grade II* <a href="/facts/Listed_building/PPx6CnfU">listed building</a> in 1954, the <a href="/facts/Gothic_architecture/uhvWpQ2r">Gothic</a>-style castle is 63 feet (19 m) high and triangular in section, with a hexagonal turret at each corner. From its elevated position, it offers views across London, with features in seven different counties visible on a clear day.

Severndroog Castle open-in-new

Severndroog Castle