History in Structure

Old Needles Battery

A Grade II Listed Building in Totland, Isle of Wight

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.6629 / 50°39'46"N

Longitude: -1.5831 / 1°34'59"W

OS Eastings: 429563

OS Northings: 84887

OS Grid: SZ295848

Mapcode National: GBR 67W.8LF

Mapcode Global: FRA 77KB.532

Plus Code: 9C2WMC78+5Q

Entry Name: Old Needles Battery

Listing Date: 28 March 1994

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1220402

English Heritage Legacy ID: 393234

ID on this website: 101220402

Location: Isle of Wight, PO39

County: Isle of Wight

Civil Parish: Totland

Traditional County: Hampshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Isle of Wight

Church of England Parish: Totland Bay Christ Church

Church of England Diocese: Portsmouth

Tagged with: Architectural structure Artillery battery

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Description


SZ38NW
1354-0/4/310

TOTLAND
Old Needles Battery


II
Former battery, now owned by National Trust as a museum. Built between 1861 and 1863 after the Royal Commission Review into the state of Britain's defences after France's first ironclad warship "La Gloire" was built. The old Needles Battery was one of a series of land forts, batteries and sea forts designed to protect Portsmouth and Southampton.

Built of brick with cement dressings. It is approached across a bridge with a cambered cement arch with keystone. Dated 1862 and brick walling. On the landward side the walls are of flint with brick lacing courses. The battery has six semi circular gun emplacements, a Laboratory, Guard Rooms and shell and cartridge stores. The barracks, officers quarters and artillery store have been demolished. The gun emplacements were enlarged to receive larger guns in 1869-75 and in 1875 but by the 1890s a new battery was built because it was feared that the more powerful modern guns might bring down the cliff and the Old Needles Battery became a practice battery. In 1899 a searchlight emplacement was built, a brick round-headed tunnel approached by a spiral staircase leading to a brick and cement emplacement.

Britain's first anti-aircraft gun was tested on the parade ground in 1913. Attached to the south is a c.1940 Signal Station (now used as a coastguard station) of red brick with metal casements.

Listing NGR: SZ2956384887

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