Marrin's Bookshop

Synopsis

Tomkins del. eastgate sc.

Item Description

Hand-coloured steel engraving mounted in conservation materials suitable for framing, overall size 11 x 10 inches approx. Engraved surface, including margin, 7 x 5.75 inches. A view of the original Sandgate Castle, little changed from the time of Henry VIII, shortly before the interior was converted into a Martello tower, to match those under construction in its neighbourhood from 1805 onwards. There are two foreground figures looking out to sea where a small naval vessel flies the blue ensign. It is interesting that the Castle still flies the old union flag without the additional red stripe that signified the union of Britain and Ireland, which came into existence on 1st January, the first day of the new century, and the publication date of this print. It appears in book form in A Journey from London to the Isle of Wight, Vol. II, From Dover to the Isle of Wight, by Thomas Pennant (1801).