Ref Number: 0019
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A 19th century Royal Commission coastal battery, situated on the top of Sandown cliff and guarding the bay.
Ref Number: 0019
Sandown Barrack Battery is a 19th century Royal Commission coastal battery located about 2 kilometers south-west of Sandown Fort on the cliff top. The battery’s construction began in 1861 and was finished in 1863. The design was rectilinear, with the cliff edge exposed and the sides and back contained by a dry moat with a loophole brick wall. On the landward side, a drawbridge and gate were secured by demi-bastions protruding from the wall. The northern demi-bastion served as a cookhouse and guardhouse, while the southern served as an artillery depot.
The Sandown Barrack Battery was completed in 1863 as part of the Royal Commission’s coastal defense scheme. It was constructed at the top of the Sandown cliffs, approximately 2 kilometers south-west of Sandown Fort, and covered a shooting range area of Sandown Bay. Construction began in 1861 and was finished two years later in 1863. It was mounted with 5* 7-inch R.B.L. cannons that were somewhat positioned back from the cliff edge to allow for potential cliff erosion by the weather.
The armament was 2* 10-inch R.M.L guns backed by 2* 64pr R.M.L guns in 1891. The building is rectilinear in plan, with the cliff edge as the southern boundary and the sides and back contained by a wall and dry moat. To gain admittance, you had to pass through a gate with a drawbridge and well-protected demi-bastions on each side, allowing the entrance to be easily defended from within.
Sometime in 1891/92, two 10-inch RML guns that had previously been stationed at Sandown Fort were remounted, replacing the three 64pdrs. Additional construction was done in 1901/02, when two 12pdr QF and two 6-inch BL Mk VII guns were added. After 1907, the 12pdr was limited to target practice only, and three years later, the 6-inch was retired. The fort was decommissioned in 1926, but by then, all of the gun barrels had been disposed of.
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