| Bembridge Fort (Culver) |
| It is a six sided land fort surrounded by a deep dry ditch, built in the 1860's. It was armed with one hundred men and initially six 7" RML guns, though by the end of the century these had been replaced by two 6" BL guns . Owned by the National Trust since 1967, it is still standing and today is used for light industry. |
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| Bouldnor Battery |
| 6" coast battery at Bouldnor, near Yarmouth. |
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| Carisbrooke Castle Tilt Yard |
| Tilt Yard or Jousting Field, shown on the 1989 map |
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| Cliff End Battery |
| Coast defence battery 1862/8 Mostly demolished. Site used for holiday bungalows. |
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| Culver Battery |
| In 1887 it was proposed to build a battery at Culver Cliff to prevent ships from enfilading the batteries at Yaverland and Redcliff, it was to be armed with three 6 inch B.L. guns on H.P. mountings with 2 Q.F. guns in support.
National Trust Car park and viewing point. Some emplacements recently excavated. Easy access. |
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| East Cow Fort |
| It was once believed that the name Cowes came from the two forts or 'cow castles' that Henry VIII built at the entrance of the Medina River. John Leland wrote in 1545: 'The two Great Cows that in loud thunder roar, This on the eastern that on the western shore.' Using stone from Quarr and Beaulieu abbeys, Henry's Master Mason. |
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| East Cowes Castle |
| The home of John Nash, architect of Marble Arch and Buckingham Palace in London and Newport Guildhall on the island |
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| Fort Albert |
| It was built in 1856 across the Solent from Hurst Castle using an unusual design with three tiers of casemates. It has now been converted into housing. |
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| Fort Victoria |
| It was built between 1852 and 1855 as a gun battery. Along with Fort Albert this was the first of the mid 18th century fortifications to be built on the Isle of Wight. It was partially demolished in the 1960's but some of the casemates are still in place. It can be seen on the Fort Victoria Country Park. |
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| Fort Warden |
| In 1794 an eight-gun earthwork was propose for the site, but was never constructed. A two gun battery occupied the cliff-top in 1803 and the Royal Commission proposed a six-gun battery to replace it in 1860 |
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| Freshwater Redoubt |
| Freshwater Fort was constructed to defend Freshwater Bay, which was an good place to land troops in reasonable weather. A deep, brick lined ditch protects the landward approaches whilst to the seaward steep cliffs make a frontal assault impossible. The redoubt is entered over a drawbridge, to the left of which a large two-story caponier projects into the rampart to provide flanking fire along it. |
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| Golden Hill Fort |
| The fort was constructed on a hill, so named because of the yellow laburnum bushes there, midway between Yarmouth and Freshwater , to the west of the River Yare. It was intended to be a defensible barracks and keep for the batteries defending the needles passage. |
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| Governors house Carisbrooke Castle / Museum |
| With these words, Princess Beatrice, the Island Governor and youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, on 11 August 1898 opened the museum in the gatehouse newly restored as a memorial to her late husband Prince Henry of Battenberg The exhibits related mainly to King Charles I - imprisoned in the castle for the last year of his life - and comprised personal relics, documents, prints, and armour of the English Civil War period. |
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| Heaverwood Battery |
| Heaverwood Battery, proposed by the 1859 Royal Commission, was constructed to mount six 68pr S.B. guns en-barbette at the same height above sea level as the Needles battery. Situated on Hatherwood Point, on the north side of Alum Bay, it was designed to cross fire with that of the Needles Battery over the Needles Passage. |
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| Horse Sand Fort (Solent) |
| It was decided in 1860 to build a series of five forts in the Solent to guard the Spithead anchorage and the inner approaches to Portsmouth Harbour. The original size of the forts was to be a vast 300ft in diameter. After much deliberation it was decided that only four forts Horse Sands, Spitbank, No Man's Land and St. Helens would be built at a reduced size of 240ft in diameter. |
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| New Needles Battery |
| The New Battery was completed in 1895 after problems with subsidence and concerns the concussion from larger guns would cause the cliffs to collapse at the Old Battery. The building cost was £9,821 and was armed with three 9.2" breech loading guns, weapons that cost £12,750, weighed 28 tons each, and fired shells weighing 380lbs, each gun needed a crew of eleven men. The battery has a commanding position overlooking the Old Battery and is almost 120 metres above sea level. |
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| No Man's Land Fort (Solent) |
| The four Solent forts were built for the protection of Portsmouth and it's harbour from sea attack and bombardment. The most likely "enemy" was the French. At the same time, land forts in Gosport and Portsdown were also built to counteract any other land or sea attack. They were never used in anger and have become known locally as "Palmerston's Follies" after the Prime Minister of the time. Horse-Sands, No Mans Land and St Helen's were constructed between 1865-80. Spitbank was started two years later in 1867. Another fort, on Ryde Sand, was abandoned after construction had started due to unstable foundations. |
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| Nodes Point Battery |
| The idea here was to built a battery that would cover the proposed fort that would be placed at St Helens Point to prevent a landing between Nettlestone Point and Bembridge. The fort was never built and was replaced eventually by St Helens Fort. |
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| Norris Castle |
| Norris Castle is a most conspicuous feature in the coast view of this part of the Island, may be approached either by road or by a walk along the shore; the latter, of course, should be adopted only when the tide is favourable. |
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| Old Needles Battery |
| The Needles Battery, later referred to as the Old Battery to distinguish it from the New Battery built nearby, was completed in June 1863. Click here to see a plan view of the battery. A more detailed plan showing the development of the Battery throughout its occupation can be found here but it is a larger file to download. |
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| Puckpool Battery |
| Battery, built 1863-65 and 1868 for thirty mortars and five guns. Rebuilt in the 1890s for two 6" guns and a 10" gun. Emplacements and earthworks still intact, used as a public park. |
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| Redcliff Battery |
| This battery was built close to the edge of a cliff to the west of Culver Cliff , about 1,000 yds to the east of Yaverland Battery and 150ft above sea level. Problems with slippage were evident for the start. Its original armament was four 7-inch R.B.L guns. |
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| Ryde Fort (Solent) |
| It was decided in 1860 to build a series of five forts in the Solent to guard the Spithead anchorage and the inner approaches to Portsmouth Harbour. Only four were completed. The 'fifth' Solent fort was sited on Ryde Sands. Shortly after construction started problems with the foundations resulted in it being abandoned The position marked is only approximate. |
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| Sandown Barrack |
| Sandown Barrack Battery, a 19th century Royal Commission coastal battery, situated on the cliff top approximately 2 kilometres south-west of Sandown Fort. Construction began on the battery in 1861 and was completed in 1863. It was rectilinear in plan, with the cliff edge open and the sides and rear enclosed by a dry moat containing a loopholed brick wall. |
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| Sandown Castle |
| Sandown Castle was built as one of Henry VIII's Device Forts at Sandown on the Isle of Wight from 1544 onwards, near Sandown Isle of Wight. Although it was never attacked, Culver whilst being built it was the scene of a desperate battle with French invaders who had landed at Whitecliff Bay and made their way over Culver Down amid heavy skirmishing in 1545. The French were repulsed. |
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| Sandown Fort |
| Referred to as "Granite" fort in later documents, this fort was constructed close to the beach in the centre of Sandown Bay 108ft above sea level. It consisted of a granite faced fort for 18 guns in casemates behind iron shields. Ten guns were proposed in an earthen battery on the terreplein above in place of an infantry parapet first proposed. |
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| Spit Bank (Solent) |
| The Spithead forts were built in the Solent in the 1860s to protect Portsmouth from bombardment from the sea, at the same time as the Gosport and Portsdown land forts were built. Horse Sands, No Mans Land and St Helens were built between 1865 and 1880, and Spitbank was started two years later. |
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| St Helens Fort (Solent) |
| A circular 19th century Royal Commission sea fort lying in the Solent 1 km east of Node's Point. St Helen's Fort was one of a chain of four sea forts in the Solent recommended by the Royal Commission on the defence of the United Kingdom in 1860 and designed to protect Portsmouth dockyard from seaborne attack |
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| Steynewood High Angle Battery |
| Used as a high angle battery with 6 nine inch guns to drop shells onto the less protected decks of attacking ships. Only in use for about 6 years. The site is private and used as a residence, no access. |
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| West Cow Fort |
| From Cowes Roads the yachtsman sees the Squadron Castle as battlements, a round tower, and a flagstaff. Behind the embodied history of the sport of yachting is another history too, for Henry VIII had the castle built in 1539 as a deterrent to the French. Its former guns are only once known to have been fired in anger, in 1642 during the Civil War. |
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| Worsley Battery |
| The Worsley Battery was constructed in the late 1790's in order to be ready if any need arose due the worsening situation between Britain and Revolutionary position in France. |
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| Yarmouth Castle |
| This last and most sophisticated addition to Henry VIII's coastal defences was completed after his death in 1547. |
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| Yaverland Fort |
| Fort, completed in 1864, concrete work with barbette gun positions, carnot wall and flanking caponiers. A holiday camp now occupies the site. The battery was constructed on a knoll on the downs about 1,800 yards to the east of Sandown Fort, at an elevation of 108ft. above sea level. It was to be armed with eight 7-inch R.B.L. guns and was well provided with magazine accommodation. |
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