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FORT BOVISAND

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DESCRIPTION

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A coastal battery for the defence of Plymouth, built between 1860 and 1869. Originally intended to be armed with fifty 68-pounder and 110-pounder guns, in three tiers, the final design was for a casemated tier of twenty-two 9-inch and one 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders. By 1880 this had changed to the final mix of nine 9-inch and fourteen 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders. In 1895 three pairs of Hotchkiss 6-pounder quick firers were added for the defence of the minefield between Bovisand and the Breakwater. In 1942 two twin 6-pounder quick firers were mounted on the roofs of casemates 11 and 16 to defend against motor torpedo attack. The fort was decommissioned in 1956. The battery was later used as a range finder position and target store and remains in good condition.

DETAIL

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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

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(SX 48755068) Bovisand Fort (NAT). (1)

Bovisand Fort, a granite casemented work built between 1860 and 1870 as part of the Plymouth Defences, remained in continuous occupation by coast artillery units until 1956. The structure is entirely sound and complete, the casemates retain their armour, mantlet bars and other fittings and above each shield can be seen painted the nomenclature of the gun originally installed there. After the guns became obselete around 1900, the fort was used as a range finder position and a target store.

At SX 488507 is Staddon Point Battery which was superseded by Fort Bovisand to which it was connected by a covered way, acting as a barrack for that work. (2)

Additional references. (3-4)

No.1 (6pdr.) Gun coastal battery. BOP and gun emplacements in good condition. 3 of the 4 original CASLs are at 487506. Internal features now obscured through use as domestic accommodation. [information from 1992 aerial photographs]. (5)

Bovisand Fort located at SX 489 508. The fort was built by recommendation of the Royal Commission and was completed in 1869. In the 1880s it was armed with fourteen rifle muzzle-loading (RML) guns and in 1898 four 12-pounder quick-firing (QF) guns were added. The RML guns were removed shortly after 1905. During the Second World War the battery was used for anti-torpedo craft defence. It was armed with 12-pounder guns, which by 1943 was replaced by 6-pounders. The guns were reduced to care and maintenance in 1944, but the coast artillery searchlights (CASL) remained in use. The fort was manned by 137 Battery of 566 Coast Regiment. The CASLs were in place by 1918 and comprised three fixed position lights and two moving lights.
No. 1 6-pounder gun emplacement was located at SX 4873 5068 and No. 2 6-pounder gun at SX 4876 5066. (6-7)

The Battery Observation Post (BOP) and emplacements are in good condition. Three of the four original coast artillery searchlights remain at SX 487 506. Internal features are now obscured through use as domestic accommodation. (8)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1966

( 2) by Ian V Hogg 1974 Coast defences of England and Wales, 1856-1956

1974 Page(s)190-3

(3) Fortress Study Group Fort : the international journal of fortification and military architecture

11, 1983 Page(s)92

(4) Andrew Pye and Freddy Woodward 1996 The historic defences of Plymouth

Page(s)210-3

( 5) Migrated Defence of Britain Project database record originally compiled from various sources

The two databases developed by the Project can be searched on-line through the Archaeology Data Service at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/specColl/dob/index.cfm

(6) C.S. Dobinson 2000 Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume 6.1. Coast Artillery, 1900-1956

6.1 Page(s)181-189

(7) C.S. Dobinson 2000 Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume 6.2. Coast Artillery, 1900-1956

6.2 Page(s)277

(8) Michael J. Anderton 2000 Twentieth century military recording project: World War Two Coastal Batteries

Page(s)66

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