Bouldnor Battery is a military
battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
located in
Bouldnor
Bouldnor is a hamlet near Yarmouth on the west coast of the Isle of Wight in southern England. It is the location of Bouldnor Battery, a gun battery emplacement.
Bouldnor is located on the A3054 road, and public transport is provided by buses ...
on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
. It saw active service in World War II and was fully decommissioned in 1956. Today, it is a
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
History
The battery was built from 1937 to 1938 to protect an anchorage on the east side of Yarmouth. It was equipped with two
6-inch Mk VII guns, electric ammunition hoists and two searchlight emplacements nearby. A pillbox was also built to protect the access road,
and the battery was manned by the Isle of Wight Rifles.
The battery was stood down in December 1942, although it was reactivated with the addition of a
Bofors anti-aircraft gun in 1944. The battery was once again stood down in 1945, with all its armaments removed by 1947, but it was re-used for gun practice from 1951 to 1955. British coastal defences were finally abandoned in 1956 and the battery was fully disarmed.
Today, the remains of the battery are used as water storage tanks, and so it is not possible to see much of the structure compared with others on the Isle of Wight. The magazines and crew shelters are flooded and form an important habitat for rare newt species. The battery is situated within a forest that is now used for cadets as an assault course and weekend retreats.
References
Publications
*
External links
Victorian Forts data sheet
{{Palmerston Forts on the Isle of Wight
Buildings and structures on the Isle of Wight
Palmerston Forts
Artillery batteries