Warden Point Battery
Encyclopedia
Warden Point Battery is a battery
on the Isle of Wight
begun in 1862, that was originally armed with 7-inch and 9-inch rifled muzzle loaders on barbette
mountings.
It was built in the 1890s for 9.2-inch breech loader gun
s. In use until 1936, and in World War II
as a command post and searchlight battery. The battery was a regular polygon
with central caponier
on the landward side, and flanking caponiers at the North and South corners. The central caponier and North -East loopholed wall remain. However the site today is very different and is very soon to be gone forever as a new housing site is being built over the top of the whole battery.
The site spent a considerable number of years after the second world war as a holiday camp. Following the closure of that, the housing estate was started. Unconfirmed information from the builders on a visit to the site suggests that some of the historic features will be retained. These include the main wall and entrance arch to the battery and some of the concrete emplacements. The latter will be built over, but protected so that they can be "re-discovered" if and when the newer buildings are demolished. At time of writing, the building work has been suspended. Much more information, with photographs, can be found on the developer's website http://fortwardenheights.com/index.htm
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
begun in 1862, that was originally armed with 7-inch and 9-inch rifled muzzle loaders on barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
mountings.
It was built in the 1890s for 9.2-inch breech loader gun
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
s. In use until 1936, and in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a command post and searchlight battery. The battery was a regular polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
with central caponier
Caponier
A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" - which strictly means capon-cote i.e. chickenhouse.The fire coming from the feature A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" -...
on the landward side, and flanking caponiers at the North and South corners. The central caponier and North -East loopholed wall remain. However the site today is very different and is very soon to be gone forever as a new housing site is being built over the top of the whole battery.
The site spent a considerable number of years after the second world war as a holiday camp. Following the closure of that, the housing estate was started. Unconfirmed information from the builders on a visit to the site suggests that some of the historic features will be retained. These include the main wall and entrance arch to the battery and some of the concrete emplacements. The latter will be built over, but protected so that they can be "re-discovered" if and when the newer buildings are demolished. At time of writing, the building work has been suspended. Much more information, with photographs, can be found on the developer's website http://fortwardenheights.com/index.htm