Completed in 1864, Yaverland Battery was one of numerous forts established around the Channel coast in the face of an anticipated French landing that never materialised, under the controversial direction of Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. Over the years the Yaverland fortification was subject to a number of adaptations and was still in use in the early 1950s as a training centre. It was finally sold off in 1956 and, like some other coastal forts, became an ideal spot for a holiday centre.
As the holiday facilities developed, parts of the fort were increasingly flattened with the remaining sections left to become heavily overgrown. The new owner acquired the site in 2008 and decided the remains should not only be preserved but recovered to form an integral part of a redesigned holiday centre.
Much of the surrounding Carnot wall has long since gone but most of the long seaward section remains, together with its two musketry Caponiers. .The fort's main gun emplacements still survive.
I was over on the island for a family holiday, checked these out or some near it when I was a kid. Anyone who has been to the island knows it is full of this sort of stuff. I find it interesting. It was all cleared out back in 2008 and if you check out xplorer x’s report here https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/yaverland-battery-iow-march-09.38810/
You can compare it to how overgrown it is now. Good mooch with my old man on a red hot day. I never learn my lesson but I really need to stop exploring in shorts!
More info can be found here https://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/yaverland.pdf
The site from google earth
Plan of the site from subbrit I think
One of the Caponiers, didn’t bother going inside. It was rank, bags of dog turd, piss, and empty cans. Standard.
When it had been cleared 2008
As the holiday facilities developed, parts of the fort were increasingly flattened with the remaining sections left to become heavily overgrown. The new owner acquired the site in 2008 and decided the remains should not only be preserved but recovered to form an integral part of a redesigned holiday centre.
Much of the surrounding Carnot wall has long since gone but most of the long seaward section remains, together with its two musketry Caponiers. .The fort's main gun emplacements still survive.
I was over on the island for a family holiday, checked these out or some near it when I was a kid. Anyone who has been to the island knows it is full of this sort of stuff. I find it interesting. It was all cleared out back in 2008 and if you check out xplorer x’s report here https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/yaverland-battery-iow-march-09.38810/
You can compare it to how overgrown it is now. Good mooch with my old man on a red hot day. I never learn my lesson but I really need to stop exploring in shorts!
More info can be found here https://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/yaverland.pdf
The site from google earth
Plan of the site from subbrit I think
One of the Caponiers, didn’t bother going inside. It was rank, bags of dog turd, piss, and empty cans. Standard.
When it had been cleared 2008
