North Sutor, Coast Battery

This Submarine Miners’ Station comprises the remains of up to five buildings situated in rough pasture immediately S of the road leading WSW from the North Sutor battery. Four of the buildings occupy a long platform that has been eroded on the S, while the fifth occupies a separate platform 14m to the W.

The larger platform, which is cut-back into the S-facing slope, measures 35m from E to W by 3.5m transversely. Of the most easterly building (NH 81420 68754), only the N part of its concrete floor survives in situ but the remainder, displaced to the S, indicates that the structure originally measured about 3.75m from N to S by 0.9m transversely. The W edge of the floor reveals that when it was laid the concrete was shuttered with corrugated iron sheets.

The concrete floor of a second building (NH 81408 68754) is situated 9m to the W. Rectangular on plan, it measures 5.8m from E to W by 1.8m transversely. Its S edge reveals that the floor was shuttered with corrugated iron sheeting, while slots for timber uprights on the N near the W end of the building mark the position of two doorways. A concrete trough (NH 81409 68751), measuring 1.37m from E to W by 0.56m, is situated 2.3m to the S.

The concrete floor of a third building (NH 81393 68754) is situated 11.5m to the W of the second. Only the N part survives in situ but the displaced fragments of the southern part indicate that it was originally rectangular on plan and measured about 3.9m from N to S by 1.55m transversely. A drainage channel running along the W wall suggests this may have been a toilet. A drain is situated 1m to its N.

The concrete floor of what appears to be a fourth building (NH 81391 68754) is situated immediately to the W, its floor 0.1m lower than its neighbour. Only the N part survives in situ the displaced remainder situated immediately to the S indicates that it was originally rectangular on plan and measured 3.9m from N to S by 1.9m transversely. An L-shaped drainage channel running along the W and N sides of the broken fragment suggest this may have also been a toilet.

A stone edged path leads W from the large terrace to a smaller one, which is also cut back into the rising ground on the N. It measures at least 7.5m from ENE to WSW by 3.9m transversely and is revetted with a concrete wall up to 0.3m thick and 1.5m high, which on the E slopes down to ground level. The concrete floor of the fifth building (NH 81371 68751), which stood on this platform, is rectangular on plan and measures 3.9m from ENE to WSW by 2.7m transversely and 0.3m high. It has chamfered edges above which are shallow slots and upright bolts for sill beams, suggesting a timber superstructure. Slight traces of wear on the S may mark the position of a doorway, while a cut in the edge of the chamfered floor here has been provided for a downpipe.

Visited by HES, Survey and Recording (ATW, AKK, KLG), 28 March 2019.