Ref Number: 00425
Between 1901 / 4 a battery of two 9.2-inch guns and two 6-inch guns were installed with supporting positions.
Ref Number: 00425
A plan to construct a fort at St. Helens Point, midway between Nettlestone Point and Bembridge, was included in the 1860 Royal Commissions Report in an effort to prevent clandestine landings along the coast. However, construction on this never began, and St. Helens Fort was subsequently constructed instead. Later, a plan developed from the Montgomery Committee study suggested constructing additional artillery positions to guard the northeastern approaches.
A pair of 9.2-inch guns and a pair of 6-inch guns were therefore mounted in the battery between 1901 and 1904. The 6-inch guns were removed from service in 1909 under the recommendations of the subsequent Owen report (1905), which recommended instead keeping the bigger 9.2-inch guns.
In 1918, a 4.7-inch Q.F. gun was mounted to one of the empty 6-inch gun emplacements and stayed there until 1928, when St. Helens Roads was declared an examination area, prompting the installation of two 6-inch guns in 1932. In 1940, when war broke out, mantlets were installed to shelter the 6-inch guns from the air, and additional metal steel coverings were installed to give the 9.2-inch guns a turret-like appearance.
The Battery was decommissioned and given only routine maintenance after World War II ended, however it was reportedly utilised by the Territorial Army for training exercises until the dissolution of the coastal artillery in 1956. In 1954, the 9.2-inch guns were removed from service; the remaining weapons were disassembled and sold for scrap, and the property was transferred to private hands.
Nodes Point Holiday Park now occupies the area, thus not much can be seen; however, new construction is planned for the area, including the guardhouse and drill hall. Due to the site’s restricted nature, visits are strictly by appointment or invitation only.
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