Aberdeen, Esplanade
Anti Aircraft Battery (20th Century)
Site Name Aberdeen, Esplanade
Classification Anti Aircraft Battery (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Ab1; Beach Dance
Canmore ID 174742
Site Number NJ90NE 66
NGR NJ 9531 0730
NGR Description Centred NJ 9531 0730
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/174742
- Council Aberdeen, City Of
- Parish Aberdeen
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District City Of Aberdeen
- Former County Aberdeenshire
NJ90NE 66 centred 9531 0730
A heavy anti-aircraft battery has been identified from RAF WWII vertical air photographs, (106G L/NLA 20.03.1945, 4010-11), situated on the esplanade immediately NE of what was the beach ballroom and is now the Leisure Centre. The battery had four square-shaped gun-emplacements with a command centre, all located within the width of the esplanade. The gun-emplacements were possibly designed in a sqaure-shaped form to fit into the width of the esplanade. The remains of the crew accommodation camp is also visible to the W of the esplanade.
There is a GL (gun-laying) radar unit at the N end of Golf Road (NJ90NW 1437) some 600m to the NW, which may possibly be connected with this battery. It was, however, constructed post May 1942 and there is a yet no evidence to connect the anti-aircraft battery to the radar site.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), December 2000.
Nothing is visible of this anti-aircraft battery, which stood on the esplanade at Aberdeen Bay, immediately NE of where a large leisure centre now stands. Like most of the other defence installations that were situated on the beach front at Aberdeen, it was probably removed soon after the Second World War.
Visited by RCAHMS (JRS), 5 December 2001.
