Major coastal fortress garrisoned by the Miners' Militia during the American War, with 1779 barracks surviving. Guarded Falmouth harbour entrance and the vital Packet Service route after France entered the war in 1778.
Begin at Pendennis Castle, garrisoned by local militia as France and Spain threatened Cornwall's coast. Walk into Falmouth town to see where the transatlantic mail ships sailed from.
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Directions to next stop
- Head south on Castle Drive
- Turn right onto Castle Drive
- Turn slight left onto Pendennis Rise
- Turn slight right onto Bar Road
- Turn right onto Cambeltown Way
- Arrive at Cambeltown Way, on the right
Distance: 2.1 km
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Drive: 4 min
Home port of the Post Office Packet Service that maintained vital transatlantic mail links during the American Revolution. Packets sailed monthly to New York and Halifax, targeted by American and French privateers. Franklin helped organize the route in 1755.
Falmouth's Packet ships were the lifeline connecting Britain to its American colonies. Drive east along the coast to Plymouth, the navy's western stronghold.
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Directions to next stop
- Head southwest on Cambeltown Way
- Turn right onto Arwenack Street
- Turn sharp left onto Swanpool Street
- Turn right onto Woodlane
- Turn sharp right onto Western Terrace, A39
- Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dracaena Avenue, A39
- ... and 25 more steps
Distance: 107.7 km
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Drive: 97 min
The western dockyard (then called Plymouth Dock) was critical to naval operations during the American war. Ships were fitted and repaired here, and the port served as a departure point for vessels heading to American waters.
Plymouth Dock fitted out warships for the Atlantic fleet. Nearby, American prisoners were held in grim conditions at Mill Prison.
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Directions to next stop
- Head east on Torpoint Ferry, A374
- Turn right onto A374
- Turn right onto Pottery Road, A374
- Continue straight onto Ferry Road, A374
- Turn right onto Park Avenue, A374
- Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stonehouse Bridge, A374
- ... and 8 more steps
Distance: 3.4 km
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Drive: 12 min
Major holding facility for American prisoners of war. Hundreds of captured American sailors and soldiers were confined here in difficult conditions. Charles Herbert's diary provides a vivid account of captivity.
Captured American sailors endured harsh winters at Mill Prison, denied formal POW status as 'rebels' against the Crown — a legal limbo that left them without prospect of exchange. Tomorrow, drive east along the coast to the batteries at Brixham.
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Gun battery established by the Board of Ordnance during the American War after France and Spain entered the conflict. Twenty-four-pounder guns arrived May 1780 to protect Brixham, a Royal Navy revictualling station.
These gun batteries were hastily built after France entered the war in 1778. Walk along the headland to Berry Head for more wartime fortifications.
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Directions to next stop
- Head east
- Turn slight right onto Gillard Road
- Turn right onto Monksbridge Road
- Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Brixham Road, A3022
- Turn slight left onto Brixham Road, A3022
- Keep left onto Brixham Road, A3022
- ... and 31 more steps
Distance: 142.4 km
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Drive: 132 min
Coast defence batteries built at Berry Head in 1779-80 during the American War to protect the Torbay anchorage, a key staging area for the Channel Fleet. Hardy's Head Battery is a Scheduled Monument dating to this period.
Berry Head's batteries guarded Torbay anchorage against invasion. Continue east along the Jurassic Coast to Weymouth, George III's favourite seaside retreat.
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Directions to next stop
- Head southeast
- Turn left onto Main Street
- Turn left onto High Street, B3153
- Turn left onto Foss Way, A37
- Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A37
- Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Fosse Lane, A361
- ... and 20 more steps
Distance: 59.8 km
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Drive: 60 min
Painted statue of George III erected in 1810 to mark his Golden Jubilee. The King frequented Weymouth, and the statue is a prominent reminder of the monarch who lost the American colonies.
George III came to Weymouth to recover from the stresses of the war and his illness. Tomorrow, head north to Bath, where opinion on America divided the fashionable set.
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Ancestral parish of the Adams presidential dynasty. Henry Adams (c.1583-1646) was born here and emigrated to Massachusetts in 1638. His great-great-grandson was President John Adams; his great-great-great-grandson was President John Quincy Adams. A 1927 memorial plaque flanked by American flags commemorates Henry Adams in the chancel of this Grade II* listed church.
In this quiet Somerset village, Henry Adams was born around 1583 before emigrating to Massachusetts in 1638. His great-great-grandson was President John Adams, architect of independence; his great-great-great-grandson was President John Quincy Adams. A 1927 plaque flanked by American flags marks the chancel wall of this Grade II* church. Drive north to Bath.
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Directions to next stop
- Head north
- Turn left
- Turn right onto The Grove
- Turn slight right onto Redcliffe Way
- Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Redcliffe Way, A4044
- Turn sharp left onto Temple Gate, A4044
- ... and 24 more steps
Distance: 57.2 km
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Drive: 52 min
Fashionable gathering place where political figures discussed the American crisis. Many retired military officers and politicians connected to the war resided in Bath. William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham), who opposed the war, spent time here.
Retired officers and politicians debated the American crisis in these elegant rooms. Drive north to Bristol, whose Atlantic trade was devastated by the war.
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Directions to next stop
- Head northeast
- Turn slight left onto Silver Street, A3102
- Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Silver Street, A3102
- Turn left onto New Road, A4
- Turn slight left onto New Road, A4
- Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A4
- ... and 22 more steps
Distance: 76.8 km
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Drive: 72 min
A major Atlantic trading port with deep commercial ties to the American colonies. Bristol merchants were divided over the conflict — some depended on American trade, while others profited from war contracts. Edmund Burke represented Bristol in Parliament and opposed the war.
Bristol merchants petitioned against the war that was destroying their American trade. End the tour at Bowood House, where the peace treaty was negotiated.
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Country seat of the Earl of Shelburne, who as Prime Minister (1782-1783) negotiated the peace treaty recognizing American independence. The Treaty of Paris terms were largely shaped by discussions held here and in London.
The Earl of Shelburne shaped the generous peace terms from Bowood and London; the Treaty of Paris was signed in Paris in September 1783. Drive north to Gloucestershire for one more stop.
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Birthplace of Button Gwinnett, Declaration signer for Georgia, baptised 10 April 1735 in Gloucestershire. His father Rev. Samuel Gwinnett served as vicar of Down Hatherley from 1727; both parents are buried in the churchyard. Gwinnett emigrated in 1762 and was killed in a duel in 1777 aged 42. His signature is the rarest of any Declaration signer, with only about 51 authenticated examples surviving.
In this quiet Gloucestershire churchyard lie the parents of Button Gwinnett, Declaration signer for Georgia. The vicar's son who emigrated in 1762, signed the Declaration, and was killed in a duel at 42 — his signature now the rarest and most valuable of any signer. A tour ending that traces the arc from war and peace to the personal stories behind the founding.
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