THE MARTELLO TOWER

The British colonists built five Martello towers in Mauritius in strategic sections of the west coast where the sea, devoid of reefs, offered a passage to enemy ships: two at Port Louis, one at Pointe aux Sables and two at Black River. Three of them are still in good condition, but only the tower at La Preneuse, which is particularly well preserved, has been restored to a high standard and turned into a museum. Built between 1832 and 1834, this watchtower was used to protect against foreign invasions. Today, it exhibits military uniforms, replicas of weapons, two wax soldiers created by the Madame Tussauds museum, period objects found during excavations... Guides lead the visit and provide interesting information on the island's colonial period. You can discover the four parts that make up the building: from the base (which contained water, food and gunpowder tanks) to the roof (which supported a small cannon facing the land and a huge machine pointing out to sea), not forgetting the ground floor and the first floor, which served as living quarters for the soldiers. About twenty men-at-arms lived in the building, under the guidance of an officer. The entrance was on the first floor and was only accessible by a retractable ladder. The tower is cylindrical, about 12 metres high and 5 metres wide. The walls on the sea side were thicker to resist possible bombardment from enemy ships.