Coast Artillery Battery

05/2000 coastal battery. two gun emplacements remain in some form (i. e. concrete aprons and retaining wall to rear). no casls or bop. concentric earthwork to n at the cliff edge (150m away) may represent position of casl (information from 1992 aerial photographs). 01/07/1994 des=site of lord howards battery, constructed in 1905, and armed with 6 bl guns. site now covered over (woodward). des=site of coastal battery at lord howards. armed with 2 x 6 guns (guy). vis=estimated -/-/1989 (guy). remains (guy). vis=-/3/1992 (pye) coastal battery covering the merchant ship anchorage in jennycliff bay and the channel through the sound to the dockyard. saunders states that it was recommended in 1905 and completed in 1909. however, woodward gives it as being constructed in 1905 when two 6 bl guns were mounted. these were dismounted in 1916 although saunders notes their presence in 1927. they were mounted again in 1941 but finally dismounted in 1946. the emplacements were filled in within the last decade and the site is now within a public park owned by plymouth city council. the remains consist of two partially infilled concrete 6 bl gunpits with a concrete parapet and an earthen rampart beyond sloping down to the coastal cliffs. access is provided by a track from the rear which is mostly still extant. the lower area behind the gun positions and terreplein has been infilled. the magazine was sited underground between the two gunpits as at lentney. small terraces in the slope behind represent two possible sites of the battery observation post. other buildings are marked to each side of the gun positions. they were probably shelters and an artillery store, and there may also have been a direction range finder at the southern end. the present cafe building is relatively modern (pye). key=defensivesite xx modern nonvisible 3/12/1990 wwi wwii gunemplacement magazine 13/04/1994 ref=des=woodward, f. w. /pers comm 1990 ref=des=guy, j. /list of coastal batteries(1990) /copy in smr ref=des=plymouth fortress survey/pye, a. /(1993) /copy and plan in smr ref=pro=wo78/5061/plan of lord howards battery & rum bay/(1907) ref=pro=wo192/291/fort record book/(?1940s) ref=pro=wo33/451/coastal defence scheme/(1911) ref=pro=wo33/525/plymouth fortress defence scheme/(1911) ref=des=saunders, a. /(c. 1990) /mss notes in smr ref=woodward,f. w. / plymouths defences/ (1990) 36-7