Cliff End Battery

Cliff End Battery stand on a ridge, immediately to the rear of Fort Albert.  Initially a guard house was built here to defend the rear of Fort Albert, but this slowly evolved into a coastal defence battery.  The site overlooks the channel with Fort Hurst on the mainland side.

The Battery was built between 1862 and 1868 but no guns were mounted until 1877.

The initial armament was:

Six 12.5-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading Guns

Three 10-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading Guns

In 1899 the nine RML guns were replaced by:

Four 6-inch Breech Loading Guns

Four 4.7-inch Breech Loading Guns

In 1903: a further two 4.7-inch guns had been added to the battery to make a total of four 4.7-inch guns.  Although removed by 1907 these two guns were replaced in 1910.

The Battery was often used by both regulars and territorial troops for training purposes.

The battery was decommissioned in 1951 and vacated in 1957.

One of the images shows the Battery Command Post complete with roof.  This structure is now due for demolition as the roof has collapsed.

See Victorian Forts, Fort Log at https://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/cliffend.pdf.

The National Archives

• WO 78/4229 Main Magazine 1872
• WO 78/4887 (Main plans 1903-14)
• WORK 43/226 Underground plan and section 1872
• WORK 43/227 Sections through the battery 1888
• WORK 43/228 Plans Y Drawing 1888
• WORK 43/229 Plan of the emplacement for expense magazines and shell stored for 5-inch guns. 1889
• WORK 43/230 Plan and section of emplacement, expense magazines and shell stored for 10-inch guns. 1889
• WORK 43/231 Drainage
• WORK 43/232 Plans and drawings 1903
• WORK 43/233 Ammunition stores for 4.7-inch and 6-inch guns
• WORK 43/234 Top plan of 6-inch, 4.7-inch, BCP and Electric Lights. 1903
• WORK 43/235 Section through battery 1903