# Roberts Battery Northumberland



## Elvis killer (Jul 5, 2008)

I thought I'd share my pics of my favorite explore to date. This info was found on the Keys to the past website.

Robert's Battery at Hartley was built in response to the threat of a bombardment of Tyneside in World War I (1914-1918). At first Tyneside was protected by an old battleship permanently based on the river as a guardship but, in 1916 the ship was needed elsewhere. As an alternative the Army was offered two redundant gun turrets, from the 1898 HMS Illustrious, for emplacement on land and two identical batteries were constructed at Marsden, near Sunderland (Kitchener Battery) and at Hartley (Robert's Battery). Work began in 1917 but was unfinished at the end of the war; it was eventually finished in September 1921 at a cost of about £64,000. Unfortunately, a few years later in 1924 the Committee of Imperial Defence recommended removal of the turrets, probably because the guns were obsolete, and work was underway in April 1926. 
The battery had two transmitting cells and two receiving cells, one each to the north and south of the battery, and a Barr and Stroud split image range finder in a rangefinding post. Extensive underground works were constructed including shell and cartridge stores, engine room, etc. and these were still visible in the early 1960s. On the surface of these works were 12 inch guns and a blockhouse. The concrete plinths for these guns and the blockhouse were also still visible in the early 1960s. Sadly these features are no longer visible. A 30ft Barr and Stroud post was the Battery Command post and had officers' accommodation attached and now survives as a private house (Fort House). The post was surrounded by a defensible wall, which still survives, pierced by rifle loopholes and including at one corner a defensible latrine. Inside the walled area were domestic buildings e.g., wooden huts, water tower, etc. A Chain Home Low radar station was established on the site of Hartley Battery in World War II (1939-1945) and the buildings still survive. The underground works represent one of the largest military engineering projects of their day. Fort House, the boundary wall and outbuildings are Grade II* Listed Buildings protected by law.

Getting into the main underground system involved dropping down a 10 metre air shaft, none of us had any SRT skills but what we did have was some engineering knowledge. A supporting bracket was fabricated and a "rope ladder" was made from threaded bar, washers, nuts and nylon strapping, the bracket and ladder were hilti bolted to the floor and we decended into the complex.





In the main room




Thats a torch in the distance, trying to gauge the size of the passage.




1970's graffiti





























Some artifacts














Escape tunnel









The way out














The entrnace has now been sealed up due to the fact that horses are now in the field that the battery was placed. As far as I know only one other explorer has been here,he left this behind with his phone number on it.




Link to his explore is here
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=8424&highlight=huge+bunker+complex

Thanks for looking and sorry for the amount of pics


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## Engineer (Jul 5, 2008)

*Roberts Battery.*

Nice explore, how far did you get down the pipe to the cliff?


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## MaBs (Jul 5, 2008)

Thats fantastic some real effort gone into getting down there, some interesteting pics. Is that a Stalagmite in one of the pictures?


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## Urban Mole (Jul 5, 2008)

Wow I like the look of this place.

Is there anyway someone could post a jpeg or a scanned image of that layout plan, would be great to see that.

EDIT: just seen the plan on 28dl


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## jock1966 (Jul 5, 2008)

Wow great find looks interesting.


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## smiffy (Jul 5, 2008)

Thats a great mooch mate... cheers for showing us !


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## Sabtr (Jul 5, 2008)

I went down in the late seventies/early eighties.  I was a teenager then and was there when that dreadful graffitti was done. Carter was always a knob! We entered via the cliff face which was quite a struggle as you then had a small hole in a bricked off entrance to navigate. I remember vividly the hooge mosquitos once you got inside that entrance.
Thanks for posting these pics up.


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## BigLoada (Jul 5, 2008)

Classic mate. That ladder you made is brilliant, it looks like a proffessional job.
I did enjoy seeing the vintage Kestrel lager can


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## Elvis killer (Jul 5, 2008)

Thanks for the comments everybody, Engineer I got to the end of the tunnel but it was just a solid wall, apparently he council blew up the cliff in the 80s to stop people going in....... MaBs That was a stalectie/mite, there was quite a number of them down there...... Sausage do you know ginger myers or gippa, aka robert gibson the famed Sluice alky their graff is all over down there. Myers was a bit of a handfull from what I've heard. I know quite a few people from the Sluice what with working in the garage that burned down recently


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## BigLoada (Jul 5, 2008)

Sausage knows everyone. Especially in that area. He never fails to amaze me


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## Elvis killer (Jul 5, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> Sausage knows everyone. Especially in that area. He never fails to amaze me



A sausage that knows everyone..... quite a guy!!


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## Engineer (Jul 5, 2008)

*Roberts Battery.*

Bloody council spoilsports.


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## Sabtr (Jul 6, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> Sausage knows everyone. Especially in that area. He never fails to amaze me



And if I don't know them I just talk to them as if I do! Shy bairns get nowt.


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## smileysal (Jul 6, 2008)

This looks great, did you have to abseil down it, or climbed down but with the aid of a rope? Love the different sections, and the lighting. Shame the council bricked them up, then again, it looks like the graffiti is years old so maybe it stopped the idiots getting in?

Cheers, looks like a brilliant explore.

 Sal


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## kernowexpeditionary (Jul 6, 2008)

nice find! love the access ladder!


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## Wile-E (Jul 7, 2008)

Tch, I recognise a few of the names/tags in that graffiti


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## stesh (Jul 7, 2008)

*Nice to see the caves again*



Sausage said:


> I went down in the late seventies/early eighties.  I was a teenager then and was there when that dreadful graffitti was done. Carter was always a knob! We entered via the cliff face which was quite a struggle as you then had a small hole in a bricked off entrance to navigate. I remember vividly the hooge mosquitos once you got inside that entrance.
> Thanks for posting these pics up.



I remember getting in that cliff way and always looking up that shaft Elvis put the rope ladder and wondering what was up there? Is the place still full of glue sniffers bagsl?


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## panda (Jul 16, 2008)

good to see the place agian cool pic's


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## Elvis killer (Jul 16, 2008)

Is that you mate? The person in picture 9.


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## holymole (Jul 17, 2008)

Love the blacked out face shot in photo 3!!


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## panda (Jul 17, 2008)

it's me i've just joined


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## sqwasher (Jul 17, 2008)

Well done for getting in there guys!  Looks very intriging...hope to see some more pics soon!


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## BigLoada (Jul 20, 2008)

panda said:


> it's me i've just joined



Areet mate. I think we met once when we were on the search for Auxiliary Unit bunkers


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## Sabtr (Jul 21, 2008)

Lithium said:


> Areet mate. I think we met once when we were on the search for Auxiliary Unit bunkers



All these new names are confusing me.


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## BigLoada (Jul 21, 2008)

Sausage said:


> All these new names are confusing me.



Aye its the senility setting in mate, theres no hope

I was wondering if there are any places at Roberts Battery to rig rope from or would I have to set up my own anchor points? I fancy a trip down there.


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## panda (Jul 21, 2008)

Lithium said:


> Areet mate. I think we met once when we were on the search for Auxiliary Unit bunkers



your right mate it was me and elvis killer you met when looking for that auxiliary unit 
where you with susage on that baltic cold day


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## Sabtr (Jul 22, 2008)

panda said:


> your right mate it was me and elvis killer you met when looking for that auxiliary unit
> where you with susage on that baltic cold day



Aye it was me. Pity we never found anything! I have a lead for another aux unit - I think it's a winter job like!


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## Elvis killer (Jul 22, 2008)

Sounds good, wait 'till everythings died back.


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## Sabtr (Jul 22, 2008)

Aye . I'm told that it is very similar in condition to the one we found near East Hartford (it's very close to that!) but it still needs recording. It seems like it was possibly a decoy hideout or even a "bolt-hole" from the other one. Wasps abound where it is and as I'm lacking a bee suit (I'll have any that are going for free!) it will have to wait till those baltic winds come once again.


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## biffa bacon (Jul 3, 2009)

*Roberts Battery*

Hi,
I stumbled across your thread on the Roberts Battery. I would love to see your pics but was unable to access them. Could you re-post them or provide a link. I live locally and in the late 70s I used to go into the battery via the cliff through a long passage and then a pipe. Once through the pipe, there were a number of doorways which were blocked off with earth and the roof appeared to be made up of backfill, perhaps an exit? One of these doorways led to a number of underground rooms. I managed to add my name to the many other names on the walls. On one ocassion we managed to climb up a shaft which led to another level. Again the passageway was blocked with earth but we managed to make a hole through. There looked to be another room which seemed to be partly filled with water. Unfortunately, that’s as far as we got. I was led to beleve that the whole thing had been demolished by the council. I would love to get back in to have another look howevr, a chance to see your pics would also be of help.


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## Vintage (Jul 6, 2009)

the pictures don't work anymore


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## biffa bacon (Jul 6, 2009)

*Roberts Battery*

That’s a pity, but thanks for the info. Does anyone still have copies of or access to the photos, and if so would they be prepared to re-post them on the site?


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