| Summary : The Emergency Coastal Battery at Brixham Battery Gardens was established in 1940 to protect Brixham harbour. It is one of only seven examples of this type of battery which have survived intact out of a total of 116 which set up around the coast of England in the Second World War. There are also the remains of an earlier 19th century practice battery.Brixham Battery was manned by various Royal Artillery regiments from 362 Battery and later 378 Battery, and was also supported by D Company of the 10th Torbay Battalion of the Devonshire Home Guard. The 5.6 hectare site houses various different structures. The World War II battery housed two 4.7inch guns - No 1 and No 2 Guns. All operations of the battery were controlled from the battery observation post (BOP). There were two Coast Artillery Search Lights (CASL) positioned to the north of the guns which assisted with the nigh-time protection of the harbour. Support buildings for the battery include two generator houses, the `Altmark' a pre-World War II public shelter used as a store during the War, a reserve reservoir, the remains of an emergency cookhouse, and a concrete platform for artillery loading exercises and an Artillery Training Service (ATS) building. The battery was equipped with its own light anti-aircraft guns and ground defences, some of which could also be used to protect the harbour. These defences probably included a 40mm Bofors gun, a non-rotating rocket projector, a 37mm Pom Pom gun, a platform to mount a gun to cover the main gate of the battery and a pillbox (which contained a 6-pounder Hotchkiss tank gun overlooking the inner harbour). Various remains of the 19th century practice battery, including earthworks, two arced traverse rails and a standing granite pillar (interpreted as a sighting post to calculate target range and bearing) survive. |
More information : A Second World War Emergency Coastal Battery gun emplacement. (1)
Coastal battery. BOP, two gun emplacements, two CASLs, and two ancillary buildings are in good condition. The area is heavily wooded. [information from 1969 aerial photographs].
Emergency coast battery, conserved and displayed to the public.
(Source: Article )
LOCATION: Battery Gardens, Brixham. (2)
The Emergency Coastal Battery at Brixham Battery Gardens was established in 1940 to protect Brixham harbour. It is one of only seven examples of this type of battery which have survived intact out of a total of 116 which were set up around the coast of England in the Second World War. There are also the remains of an earlier 19th century practice battery. Brixham Battery was manned by various Royal Artillery regiments from 362 Battery and later 378 Battery, and was also supported by D Company of the 10th Torbay Battalion of the Devonshire Home Guard. The 5.6 hectare site houses various different structures. The World War II battery housed two 4.7inch guns - No 1 and No 2 Guns. All operations of the battery were controlled from the battery observation post (BOP). There were two Coast Artillery Search Lights (CASL) positioned to the north of the guns which assisted with the nigh-time protection of the harbour.
Support buildings for the battery include two generator houses, the `Altmark' a pre-World War II
public shelter used as a store during the War, a reserve reservoir, the remains of an emergency cookhouse, and a concrete platform for artillery loading exercises and an Artillery Training Service (ATS) building. The battery was equipped with its own light anti-aircraft guns and ground defences, some of which could also be used to protect the harbour. These defences probably included a 40mm Bofors gun, a non-rotating rocket projector, a 37mm Pom Pom gun, a platform to mount a gun to cover the main gate of the battery and a pillbox (which contained a 6-pounder Hotchkiss tank gun which overlooked the inner harbour. Various remains of the 19th century practice battery, including earthworks, two arced traverse rails and a standing granite pillar (interpreted as a sighting post to calculate target range and bearing) survive.
Scheduled. The full designated record for this site can be found on the National Heritage List for England. (3-4)
Listed. The Battery Observation Post is designated - for the full designated record please see the National Heritage List for England. (5-6)
Brixham coastal battery was built between June and September 1940. It had two main guns, anti-aircraft weapons and extra harbour defence guns.
A total of about one hundred officers and soldiers manned the Battery, originally from the Royal Artillery, but later by the Home Guard. In 1940, Brixham battery was manned by the Royal Artillery 362 Battery 18 CA GP Regiment, becoming 362 Battery 556 Regiment in 1941 and 378 Battery 556 Regiment in 1942. The Royal Artillery was supported by local men transferred from 'D' Company (10th Torbay) Battalion Devonshire Home Guard.
This website has a number of photos of the site and additional information. (7)
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