Eastney Battery West

Eastney West Battery, built between 1861 and 1863, is one of two coastal defense batteries at Eastney, positioned near the old Royal Marine Barracks. The two batteries (West & East) were linked by a rampart with a parapet and covered way.

The battery had a dry moat, small caponiers, and a loopholed wall with three gun embrasures. Initially armed with twelve smoothbore guns, its later armament included:
- One 6-inch Mark IV BL gun on a hydropneumatic mount
- Four 64-pdr 58cwt RML guns
- Two west-facing 64-pdr emplacements later converted to Maxim machine gun positions

Built to protect Langstone Harbour, the batteries were never used in wartime. By 1902, each retained a single 6-inch BL Mk. IV gun. Today, West Battery has become a garden.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Tim Sheerman-Chase