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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 97 SW 13
Type of record:Monument
Name:Barton's Point Battery, Sheerness

Summary

A coastal battery built as an addition to the Queenborough Lines between 1889 and 1891. By 1901 is was serving as a training battery and was decommisioned as an operational battery in 1905. It was transferred to the Navy in 1938 and became part of HM Gunnery School Chatham.


Grid Reference:TQ 9383 7486
Map Sheet:TQ97SW
Parish:SHEERNESS, SWALE, KENT

Monument Types

Full description

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[TQ 9235 7405] Barton's Point and Queenborough Lines [NAT] (1) [TQ 910 736 - TQ 939 748] Queenborough Lines linear wet ditch 1860, listed. [TQ 939 748] site of Barton's Point batteries, 1890 and 1900, listed. (2) [TQ 942 748] Barton's Point Battery. In the late 1890s a work was built at the northern end of the Queenborough lines to mount two 9.2 inch B.L. guns and two 6 inch B.L. guns all on disappearing carriages.The 6 inch were in place by 1901 and the 9.2 inch shortly after. A practice battery of two 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns were also installed at about the same time. The disappearing carriage guns were withdrawn in the 1920s, but the practice battery remained (see Illustration Card for plan of Medway Defences). (3). Additional ref in relation to rest of Sheerness defences (4). Site photographs (5-15). For site in context with other defence sites in Kent, see (16,17).

Description from record TQ 97 SW 1137:
Scrapsgate, E of Sheerness. Coastal battery. This 19th century battery is now heavily covered in buildings. One emplacement remains, and some underground facilities may survive. BOP present, and there is one curviform building to the rear of the fort. (18)

A coastal battery built as an addition to the Queenborough Lines between 1889 and 1891. It had four 'disappearing guns', Moncrieff mountings that allowed the gun to be concealed in deep pits. By 1901 is was serving as a training battery and was decommisioned as an operational battery in 1905. It was partially reactivated during the First World War when infantry defences were constructed and two anti-aircraft guns installed to the south of the original gun positions in 1919. It was moth-balled until 1932-4 when a searchlight battery was installed by the Army. It was transferred to the Navy in 1938 and became part of HM Gunnery School Chatham but continued to serve as a searchlight battery during the Second World War. The Navy used it for anti-aircraft gunnery training, with the school closing in 1961. (19-20)


<1> OS 1:10000 1974 (OS Card Reference). SKE48159.

<2> Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 15 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE43674.

<3> Coast Defences of Eng and Wales 1856-1956 1974 95 117 plan (IV Hogg) (OS Card Reference). SKE39036.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in England, 1995, Sheerness: The Dockyard, Defences and Blue Town (Unpublished document). SWX6974.

<5> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9498.

<6> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9648.

<7> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9795.

<8> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9796.

<9> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9809.

<10> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9810.

<11> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9815.

<12> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9994.

<13> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9996.

<14> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10290.

<15> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10424.

<16> Kent County Council, 1999, Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites, KD70 (Index). SWX11828.

<17> Kent County Council, 1999, Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites, KD2 (Index). SWX11828.

<18> Anderton, Michael J., World War Two Coastal Batteries (Bibliographic reference). SKE13158.

<19> English Heritage, 2001, Barton's Point, Sheerness, Kent: A 19th-20th-century coast artillery battery and Second World War training school of naval anti-aircraft gunnery (Unpublished document). SKE17510.

<20> English Heritage, 2012, Barton's Point Battery: Advice Report (Scheduling record). SKE17451.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 1:10000 1974.
<2>OS Card Reference: Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 15 (D Bennett).
<3>OS Card Reference: Coast Defences of Eng and Wales 1856-1956 1974 95 117 plan (IV Hogg).
<4>Unpublished document: Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in England. 1995. Sheerness: The Dockyard, Defences and Blue Town.
<5>Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 3060. print.
<6>Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4463. print.
<7>Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 3009. print.
<8>Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 3012. print.
<9>Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4009. print.
<10>Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4012. print.
<11>Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4026. print.
<12>Photograph (Print): 1942. Photograph. 20. print.
<13>Photograph (Print): 1942. Photograph. 23. print.
<14>Photograph (Print): 2000. Photograph. 203. print.
<15>Photograph (Print): 2000. Photograph. 1. print.
<16>Index: Kent County Council. 1999. Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites. KD70.
<17>Index: Kent County Council. 1999. Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites. KD2.
<18>XYBibliographic reference: Anderton, Michael J.. World War Two Coastal Batteries. [Mapped feature: #36975 battery, ]
<19>Unpublished document: English Heritage. 2001. Barton's Point, Sheerness, Kent: A 19th-20th-century coast artillery battery and Second World War training school of naval anti-aircraft gunnery.
<20>Scheduling record: English Heritage. 2012. Barton's Point Battery: Advice Report.

Related records

TQ 97 SW 112Part of: Queenborough Lines (Monument)