Culver Battery, also known as Culver Down Battery, was first proposed in 1887 but was actually built between 3rd May 1904 and 21 July 1906 . The Battery was handed over to the Royal Artillery by the Royal Engineers on 31st August 1906. This heavy battery was intended to prevent hostile ships enfilading the coast defence batteries at Yaverland and Redcliff. The proposals initially were for for three 6-inch BL guns on hydropneumatics mount, later modified to 4.7-inch guns. The battery was finally constructed with a Twydall Profile and mounted two 9.2-inch Mark X guns on Mark V Mounts. Culver Down Battery lies about one kilometre South East of Fort Bembridge.
Culver Down Battery was protected by an unclaimable fence and on the sea side by a cliff. The 5ft 6-inch palisade fence covered the sides and rear of the battery. The magazine and shell store was situated underground between the two gun pits. The Position Finding Cell (PFC) was originally built to the left (West) of the Number 2 gun. This PFC was demolished in 1933 and the role assumed by the BCP and later a position in Fort Bembridge. Culver Down Battery also worked with the Yaverland Battery P.F. Cell.
The Battery was manned throughout 1914-18 but saw no action. In 1915 a new 6-pdr Q.F. Hotchkiss Gun was mount in an Anti-Aircraft role. In February 1918 a machine gun on a High Angle Mount was added to the A.A. defences. On the 5th November 1917 during a practice fire a fault fuse led to damage to the B1 gun barrel (No. 3030 E.O.C) and was returned to Woolwich for repair. By 10th February 1918 this damaged gun was replaced by another 9.2-inch gun (No.291 R.G.F.) which had been moved from Braefoot Battery on the Firth of Fort. The gun barrel had to be moved my a tractor provided by the Royal Marine Artillery in Eastney because no contractors on the Island had a suitable machine.
In 1922 the Mark V mounts (15 degrees) for the guns were upgraded to Mark VI mounts (30 degrees).
In April 1927 the gun mounted were fitted with ‘follow the pointe’ gears and dials as part of a trial with the range finding equipment installed at Fort Bembridge.
In August 1928 both 9.2-inch guns (R.G.F. L 291 and E.O.C. L.906) failed tests and were replaced in that winter by R.G.F L.345 and E.O.C. L. 176. The two old guns were removed in early 1930 by the Armament Withdraw Party and sent to Woolwich.
In 1929 experiments were carried out with shell trolleys and the recess for the shells under the gun pits were enlarge to 7.5-inchs to aid access. The image from 1939 maybe from these trials.
The battery was decommissioned in 1956.
Within the outer boundary stones, all War Department, is a small square of Admiralty boundary stones. It is thought that this was possibly the site of a radio station or small building. The careful delineation of this naval plot within the battery grounds clearly shows that inter-service rivalry was alive and well,