Seaforth Battery, Seaforth,

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

was built to protect shipping on the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

. Constructed as part of the defences of the

Mersey Docks The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

, the battery was designed to engage ships using the Rock Channel head on as well as the other shipping channels. The battery supported

Fort Perch Rock Fort Perch Rock is a former defence installation situated at the mouth of Liverpool Bay in New Brighton. Built in the 1820s to defend the Port of Liverpool, its function has changed from defensive, to tourist attraction and museum. It has bee ...

, which was located opposite on the Wirral bank of the river. It was completed at the end of 1879 at a cost of £19,109. The main armament comprised four 12.5-inch RML guns which were mounted in armoured granite casemates. These were installed soon after completion of the battery. These were soon augmented in 1894 with two 4.7-inch Quick Fire guns which were originally sent to arm Fort Perch Rock. These were suitable for engaging fast

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...

s. In 1898 a fire control centre for the 4.7-inch guns was added at the east end of the battery. In 1903, the four 12.5-inch RMLs were removed as they were obsolete. In 1907, two of the 12.5-inch RML gun casemates were opened out to mount searchlights.Stevenson, Ian, 2010. ''The Defences of the Mersey'', Redan:Journal of the Palmerston Forts Society, Gosport, pp99-130 In 1928, a review of the defences of the Mersey was undertaken and it was decided that Seaforth battery was no longer required. The battery was dismantled and the land returned to the harbour board in 1929.

References

Bibliography

External sources

Victorian Forts data sheet on Seaforth Battery
* *{{cite web , url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41285 , title=Townships - Bootle , publisher =British History Online , accessdate=2009-09-09 Forts in Merseyside Former buildings and structures in Liverpool Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton 19th-century forts in England Artillery batteries