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Field Visit
Date 6 December 2023
Event ID 1170039
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1170039
Nothing is now visible of four timber blockhouses that were situated at carefully chosen locations around the periphery of the Downing Point Battery (NT 15732 82474; NT 15795 82446; NT 15811 82516; NT 15795 82531). Two lay close to the entrance to the camp on the NW, one at the W end of the crag and another close to the S edge of the cliff about 17m SE of the NE gun platform (NT18SE 24.2).
They are all shown on Barclay and Morris’ plan of the battery (Barclay and Morris 2019, 103 fig. 9.32; 105) based upon maps dating from 1915-16 (WO 78/5165; WO 78/4396) held by the National Archives at Kew. Barclay and Morris also reproduce a plan of an example (Barclay and Morris 2019, 104 fig 9.34; 104-5), which indicates that each measured 5m square and was provided with a sloping roof, a vent and a chimney, while their walls were closely protected by sandbags. The maps also show that another six block houses (NT 15368 82414; NT 15307 82520; NT 15376 82672; NT 15580 82854; NT 15769 82811; NT 15894 82843) were situated between 270m and 410m from the entanglement (NT18SE 24.18) surrounding the battery. The 1916 map (WO 78/4396) also shows the field of fire covered by the ten blockhouses.
Visited by HES Archaeological Survey (A T Welfare), 6 December 2023
