The National Trust’s Needles Old Battery is spectacularly sited above the Needles Rocks and has the best views you can get from land of the iconic geological formation.
Recently returned from conservation work, visitors can see the original dress uniform jacket worn by Master Gunner Robert Lakeman who worked at the Battery, or head through the underground tunnel, that takes you deep through the cliffs, for a unique bird's eye view of The Needles.
The tea-room is in an old look-out tower and serves hot and cold drinks, light lunches, sandwiches, cakes and traybakes with dramatic views of the Needles Rocks and Dorset in the distance.
From the Old Battery there are miles of wonderful cliff top walks stretching from the Needles Headland to Freshwater Bay across the Headland and Tennyson Down.
The Old Battery was constructed between 1861 and 1863. It was equipped with six 7-inch Armstrong rifled breechloading guns. These were replaced by four 7-inch and two 9-inch rifled muzzle loaders in 1872, and six 9-inch rifled muzzle loaders in 1893. The 9 inch guns took a team of 9 men to load and fire. These guns fired projectiles weighing 256 pounds (116 kg).[1] The 9-inch guns remained in place until 1903 when they were discarded by throwing them over the side of the cliff. These were later recovered and two are now on display at the Old Battery.[2]
A deep ditch with a retractable bridge was dug into the chalk to protect the facility from ground attack from the island side. In 1885 a tunnel was dug towards the cliff face from the parade grounds. An elevator down to the beach was completed in 1887. Early searchlight experiments were conducted at the site[3] between 1889 and 1892.[2] The present observation post housing a searchlight was built in 1899.[4] Just to the east of the Old Battery, at Hatherwood Point are the remains of Hatherwood Battery, built to defend the area alongside the Needles Battery. The Old Battery is a Grade II Listed Building.[5]
15 окт 2024
