J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

Made with the page turned vertically, here two drawings describe coastal scenes, suggested by Finberg as being views of topography near Dover.1 The top sketch appears to record a view of Sandgate in Kent, distinguished by the squat form of Sandgate Castle on the shore to the right of centre, and the outline of a Martello tower overlooking the harbour from atop the cliffs towards the left. Dwellings and boats are clustered around the unelaborated beach, and the line of the sea level is indicated at right, where the cliff face disappears out of sight.

Presumably the second drawing emulates the general vicinity of the first. A similarly positioned Martello tower is marked in a high position at far left, and the slope of the supporting cliff descends towards the middle of the page, where a tangled sprawl of buildings and vague paraphernalia is positioned.

For a more detailed account of the purpose and history of the Martello towers, and a list of their appearances in this sketchbook, see the entry for folio 5 verso (D17215). For a comprehensive list of the pages which show views of Sandgate and its Castle, see the entry for folio 16 verso (D17233).