Visit Steep Holm Island Batteries, Bristol Channel, England

Add to My List Check Off

Steep Holm is an English island lying in the Bristol Channel. The island covers 48.87 acres (19.78 ha) at high tide, expanding to 63.26 acres (25.60 ha) at mean low water. At its highest point it is 78 metres (256 ft) above mean sea level. Construction started on the Steep Holm defences in 1866 when six 7-in Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) batteries were constructed; four double gun batteries and two single gun emplacements. The guns have been recorded as dating from between 1868 and 1869, indicating the fortifications took at least 2 years to complete. Each battery had an associated magazine for separate shell and cartridge storage and utilised a Georgian canon as the pivot. All 7-in RML guns remain on the island, as do all but one of the pivot guns. These Victorian-era guns have been identified as 7-inch 7-ton Mark III Armstrong RML (Rodney Legg, Steep Holm at War, p50) The island was rearmed in 1941 when two twin-gun 6-inch batteries were constructed. A proportion of the C19 fortifications were damaged during this later fortification as older emplacements were built on or the stone was robbed for use elsewhere on the island.

Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›