Sandown Barrack Battery was one of the Royal Commission coastal defence batteries built between 1861 and 1863 to support the nearby Sandown Fort and Yaverland Battery. It is thought that the battery guns were initially mounted close to the cliff, but moved inland as they were upgraded to heavier guns. The land side of the battery was protected by a Carnot wall and two caponiers, which largely survives and a dry ditch. A Position Finding Station was built just outside the Fort on the West side but does not survive.
The Battery initially mounted five 7-inch RBL gun which were replaced in about 1873 with five 64-pdr RML guns. By 1892 two 10-inch RML guns had replaced some of these 64-pdr RML guns. By 1891 only two 64-pdr RML guns remained with two 10-inch RML guns in barbette mountings. There are now clear above ground remains of the RML emplacements.
Between 1900 and 1903 the Battery underwent a major upgraded and was remodelled to mount two 6-inch Mark VII guns (removed 1910) and two 12-pdr Q.F. guns (removed 1905). The emplacements for these later guns survive.