# The Needles Old Battery - Isle of Wight - Mar 10



## Urban Mole (Mar 21, 2010)

Well, this was an odd day, but met up with zender126, who was visiting the island for the day.
We first set out to visit the only known existing Aux Bunker on the island, and failed miserabley, so we decided to move onto the Rocket Testing Site, but upon parking at Alum Bay, noticed a sign that read 'Old Needles Battery FREE' today and tomorrow(Sat & Sun), how could we turn that down, so of we set for the long walk upto the battery.
Here is a couple of reference links;

Random Needles info - http://www.theneedlesbattery.org.uk/

My sea level report - [ame="http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=6146"]DerelictPlaces[/ame]


National Trust page - http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-theneedlesoldbattery

Palmerston Forts page - http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/pdf/old.pdf


Heres a map of the site;









> The Needles Batteries were constructed between 1861-95 for coastal defence against a threat of invasion by France. The Batteries are on the most westerly point of the Isle of Wight and overlook one of Britain's most famous coastal landmarks.
> 
> The Batteries played an important role in the defence of southern Britain during two world wars. Between 1956-71 the New Battery was used by Saunders Roe for testing the Black Knight and Black Arrow space rocket engines, prior to the rockets being shipped to Woomera for launching. The Batteries, and the surrounding downland, were acquired by the National Trust in 1975 and after extensive restoration work the Old Battery was opened to the public in 1982. The surviving buildings are maintained to a high standard by the National Trust and its team of volunteer helpers.
> 
> Spectacular views of the Solent, Dorset and Hampshire are visible from the ramparts, and the old searchlight emplacement, at the end of a 65 metre tunnel, provides the closest view of The Needles from land.







Entrance & drawbridge.





Roof of the lift shaft in the ditch.





Laboratory entrance.





Inside the Laboratory with equipment.





Inside again.





Sealed light inside.





Alum Bay from the Battery.





9-inch RML Guns, these were raised from the see, as they were abandoned over the cliff when it was decomissioned.





And again, the carriges arnt original, but exact replicas of the original ones.





Site of 1 pdr AA gun from 1913.





Post war signal station, now WW2 museum & tea rooms.





The south position finder cell.





The finding cell.





Steps down to the tunnel access for the search light.





Inside the tunnel.





The light at the end of the tunnel 





View of the needles from the searchlight position.





The searchlight.





Scratchels bay, it was very windy and drizzley, so was hard to keep a clean lens.





North position finding cell.





Inside the shell store.





Again





Again





Again





Again, picture depicting the new needles battery, training excercise.





The original searchlight.





Entrance to the shell & cartridge store.





Inside the shell & cartridge store.





Inside the shell & cartridge store, charges for the guns.





The drawbridge was manually operated.





The winding gear for the drawbridge.

Thanks for looking, comments suggestions welcome


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## outkast (Mar 21, 2010)

Nice work mate i am visiting the island early April for long weekend and plan on getting as much done as posible

dave


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## klempner69 (Mar 21, 2010)

That was some result there Mole...any idea if its going to be open regularly or was this a one off?


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## Urban Mole (Mar 21, 2010)

Its open most of the year, Im sure the times aree listed on the NT site, but its not often its free, unless yougo 'out of hours'


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## zender126 (Mar 21, 2010)

Your pictures came out well mate, was good to see you again
Ill be back in the summer- that AU ob needs finding!


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## Foxylady (Mar 21, 2010)

That's great. Really interesting to see how it would've looked when new and maintained.
Lol at 'the light at the end of the tunnel'.


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## steve_o (Mar 21, 2010)

Its good to see some of englands Defenses are kept in good condition. 

Im amazed at how many of these are opened up as 'tourist' sites. Wander if theres a list of all the available ones somwhere?

Thanks for the report!


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## shakey (Mar 22, 2010)

great report mate.

At first I thought there was a typo in the name and I honestly thought that it was supposed to say the 'Needless Old Battery'

but I then realised that it wasn't *ahem* :s


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## Winch It In (Mar 23, 2010)

What a touch to find it both free and open on the day you were passing. Great report and photos. Would like to go take a look here if I am ever on the island. The views look astonishing, can see why this battery was sited here.


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## T-bar (Mar 23, 2010)

glad you posted that steve means I dont need to go and have a look now haha I prefered our below tourist level visit down the bottom of the lift shaft though


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## Urban Mole (Mar 23, 2010)

Yeh that was a great explore down there, and they dont even have any photos of it in the museum either, but they do of everything in the trench, eg, engine rooms etc...

I linked the sea level explore at the start, of this thread, for anyone that missed it.


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