Field Visit

Date 20 February 2020

Event ID 1125148

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1125148

Coastal Batteries of Scotland

This abandoned rush- and tree-grown military road, which led NW from Site No.4 to Site No.3, formed part of the infrastructure of the battery introduced by the Admiralty during the First World War. It is terraced into the NE-facing slope, but on the opposite side it is bordered for much of its length by an earth bank. The road, which measures on average about 3.5m in width, enters the woodland to the SE of an Engine House (NH86NW 11.9), before running more-or-less along the 90m contour to a point where the accompanying bank is replaced by a low stone-built parapet about 40m from where the road stops abruptly (NH 80801 67187). This dead-end is situated just beyond the site of the staircase and the slipway (NH86NW 11.37) that originally led down to the buildings on the steep slope below.

The road is annotated ‘New Road’ and 'Roadway' on plans of the battery in the Fort Record Book held in the National Archives at Kew (WO78/5192 15/19 and 18/19). Three photographs taken on 29 August 1913 show the road under construction, but in use. One (SC1116233) facing WNW illustrates the last 50m from the dead-end, while the other (SC1116246) is taken from the dead-end facing ESE. A third (SC917875) shows the ESE end of the road where it entered Site No.4.

Visited by HES, Survey and Recording (ATW, AKK), 20 February 2020.