# Lavernock Battery, Searchlight building and bunker.



## Pedrfardd (Oct 21, 2012)

From Wikipedia - 

'Lavernock Battery was built at Lavernock Point, Wales on the recommendations of the 1859 Royal Commission.
It was the most northerly of a chain of defences across the Bristol Channel, protecting the access to Bristol and Cardiff. Completed in 1870, with three 7" muzzle loading cannons to protect the channel approaches to Cardiff and Bristol shipyards during the short lived war between Britain and France that followed the French Revolution.
Sometime before 1895 the gun battery was reinforced with a fourth cannon only for all four guns to be replaced eight years later by two rapid fire six inch (152 mm) breech-loading former naval guns in 1903. A two unit searchlight battery was added during the Second World War. The World War II gun emplacements formed part of the Fixed Defences, Severn Scheme and protected the Atlantic shipping convoy de-grouping zone between Cardiff, Barry and Flat Holm.
Today the site is largely gone, with what remains being included in a holiday caravan and chalet park. The remaining main section of the gun battery has been listed as an Ancient Monument, which includes the gun emplacements, director-rangefinder observation position, crew and officers quarters. The structure is still commemorated through Lavernock Point's main access road being named 'Fort Road'.'




DSC_0710 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0668 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr







DSC_0670 by Pedrfardd, on Flickredrfardd/8106995551/]DSC_0685[/url] by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0676 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0675 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0665 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0659 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0657 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0656 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0654 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0649 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0638 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr

Searchlight building.




DSC_0719 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0721 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0727 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0775 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0776 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0781 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr




DSC_0783 by Pedrfardd, on Flickr

and at this point this particular walkabout joins up with my other report from Swanbridge


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## krela (Oct 21, 2012)

I really need to get myself here to complete my tour of the Severn defences. Thanks for posting.


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## BTP Liam (Oct 21, 2012)

Nice, the last image is a real cracker - captures the essence of the awesome feeling stumbling across a bit of dereliction!


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## night crawler (Oct 21, 2012)

Nice, I wondered if there was anything along the Bristol channel.


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## flyboys90 (Oct 21, 2012)

Ace report.


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## steve2109 (Oct 21, 2012)

Nice pics and report, thanks, shame the graffiti ruins it !


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## cptpies (Oct 22, 2012)

Great set of pics, they are mostly of the HAA battery rather than the original coastal battery, I'm not sure if any of that still exists. I believe in WWII with respect to coastal defence only the searchlights were installed which operated in conjunction with the battery on Flat Holm. Do you have an accurate location for the Type 25 Pillbox? I have seen pics of it before but have never been able to pinpoint exactly where it is.


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## krela (Oct 22, 2012)

The coastal battery is underneath the Caravan park I believe.

The Lavernock HAA battery was well known for landing it's shrapnel on the heads of those at the Flatholm Naval battery, not ideal!


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## cptpies (Oct 22, 2012)

krela said:


> The coastal battery is underneath the Caravan park I believe.
> 
> The Lavernock HAA battery was well known for landing it's shrapnel on the heads of those at the Flatholm Naval battery, not ideal!



So it is. You can see the aprons of two, possibly three, emplacements peeking out from the edge of the swimming pool.


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## UEP-Wales (Oct 22, 2012)

cptpies said:


> Do you have an accurate location for the Type 25 Pillbox? I have seen pics of it before but have never been able to pinpoint exactly where it is.



It's roughly located here - 51.400538,-3.188608


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## jongriff (Oct 22, 2012)

It's a great historical site but also good for photoshoots: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3BSxDUIyQw[/ame]


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## cptpies (Oct 24, 2012)

Urbex-SW said:


> It's roughly located here - 51.400538,-3.188608



Thanks Urbex. Do you have any thoughts about the structure at 51.400257° -3.189648°? It looks like a BOP to me.


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## Pedrfardd (Oct 28, 2012)

Cpties - the structure you are talking about is either the ruined house in the last pic - or a private modern house on St Mary's Well bay ..


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## cptpies (Oct 29, 2012)

Pedrfardd said:


> Cpties - the structure you are talking about is either the ruined house in the last pic - or a private modern house on St Mary's Well bay ..



It's the modern structure, if you look at it on streetview it appears to be made of concrete and have a very similar appearance to a BOP.


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## Mars Lander (Oct 29, 2012)

really great stuff , like the look of it here , thanks for sharing your grand piks


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