Coastal Battery, Beer, Devon

I gave this a visit just before Christmas...between one lot of snow and the next, which was just as well as the next storm snowed my town in completely and no-one was going anywhere for a few days! I posted up a report about this in 2007, but the film I used was duff, plus the pics have now disappeared as I'd used the now-defunct gallery. So I thought I'd give it a re-visit and update.

I haven't been able to find out anything at all about this particular emplacement. Unlike the battery at Axmouth Harbour, this appears to have had no large embrasure suitable for wheeling in a large gun, unless it has been bricked up. However, four loopholes remain on the eastern side and one on the southern wall. There is no access inside and being a shortie of only 5' 2", I was unable to look through the openings, or even reach up enough to poke my camera in.

The battery is situated at the bottom of the slip road from the village to the beach, in what is known as Charlie's Yard.









View showing the battery from an approach along the beach, which blends in quite well against the background of limestone cliffs.



A view of the beach from the battery.



And a pic from the top of the battery, which is now a view/picnic point...complete with seagull.



Cheers.

I'd forgotten that this existed. Beer was one of the places we used to visit a lot as a family when I was about 14 and new to the area. Seem to remember the beach shelves away deep real quick and you really do get caught by the undertow.

Wouldn't have fancied jerry's chances of getting ashore unscathed here.

Nice quality to the pics as usual. Thanks for the reminder FL.

Munchh said:

Seem to remember the beach shelves away deep real quick and you really do get caught by the undertow.

Wouldn't have fancied jerry's chances of getting ashore unscathed here.

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Absolutely! The whole of Lyme Bay is treacherous with those deep shelves and the undertow from the oblique tides. I remember many years ago seeing someone drowned and brought ashore, and also when two Beer fishermen who knew the sea well but were still caught by the undertow and drowned, even though it was on a still day with the sea like a millpond. Some of us did a sponsored row in the inshore lifeboat raft from Lyme to Beer to collect funds for the families of the Beer boys as well as the RNLI. It's a sobering thought when you know the people.

Some interesting looking plants growing out of the walls. Takes biologist hat off.

looks like it was constructed out of the local stone. Went to Beer about 10 years ago while we were staying at Charmouth and never really noticed it. It does seem to blend in with the surroundings.

Not a very likely landing place for an invading army!

Beer

I was in Beer a short while ago but the beer must have affected the vision as I didn't even notice it. Did notice there is a Beer Womens Institute though! Nice pictures, thanks.

t. Did notice there is a Beer Womens Institute though!

Slightly off topic, the village of Loose just outside Maidstone has the Loose womens institute.

Well theres a thing - I went to Beer about a year ago and never noticed the gun emplacement. Thanks for posting Foxy as at least I will know where to look next time I go there

highcannons said:

I was in Beer a short while ago but the beer must have affected the vision as I didn't even notice it. Did notice there is a Beer Womens Institute though! Nice pictures, thanks.

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oldscrote said:

...Slightly off topic, the village of Loose just outside Maidstone has the Loose womens institute.

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LOL!

borntobemild said:

...looks like it was constructed out of the local stone. Went to Beer about 10 years ago while we were staying at Charmouth and never really noticed it. It does seem to blend in with the surroundings...

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hydealfred said:

Well theres a thing - I went to Beer about a year ago and never noticed the gun emplacement. Thanks for posting Foxy as at least I will know where to look next time I go there

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I must have walked past it hundreds of times without seeing it. Even when I started looking for pillboxes and specifically went over to Beer to find the battery, I couldn't find the damn thing and was wandering all along the beach until I realised it was staring me in the face.

womens institute

Nice one! Just outside Bradford is the 'town' of Idle. They have an Idle Working Mans Club!

oldscrote said:

t. Did notice there is a Beer Womens Institute though!

Slightly off topic, the village of Loose just outside Maidstone has the Loose womens institute.

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highcannons said:

Nice one! Just outside Bradford is the 'town' of Idle. They have an Idle Working Mans Club!

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fantastic pictures foxy especialy the seagull

the way thats built reminds of one that i saw the other day at borth y gest ,on the top of a cliff, made out of the local stone to blend in and blocked up aswell, shame i didnt have my camera with me either, next time tho

Good one Foxy the sort of thing most people overlook when they go to places like that.

Andymacg said:

fantastic pictures foxy especialy the seagull

the way thats built reminds of one that i saw the other day at borth y gest ,on the top of a cliff, made out of the local stone to blend in and blocked up aswell, shame i didnt have my camera with me either, next time tho

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That seagull and me were keeping an eye on each other but I finally got him in the right place for the pic. lol.

One of the things I love about the defences is how they were often built using local materials, and how different they are because of it.

night crawler said:

Good one Foxy the sort of thing most people overlook when they go to places like that.

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It amazes me now how often I used to see pillboxes years ago and didn't know what they were. It wasn't until I joined DP that I found out about them, and how interesting they are, and once I knew I could've kicked myself at the lost chances to explore them before.

Slightly off topic, the village of Loose just outside Maidstone has the Loose womens institute.

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the village of Ugley in Essex also has a Women's Institute

don's hard hat

I was there as young boy when it was being constructed, probably in 1940. There was in those days an engineers shed behind it, the owner looked after the trawlers engines - fortunately the pillbox was not needed during the war years and I don't remember anybody ever going into it. My grandfather Frank Hawker was in charge of the local coastguard and he used a lookout point on Branscombe beach - Alan Cartlidge, an old Beer boy living in Gibraltar

borntobemild said:

the village of Ugley in Essex also has a Women's Institute

don's hard hat

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Haha, wonderful!

Alan Cartlidge said:

I was there as young boy when it was being constructed, probably in 1940. There was in those days an engineers shed behind it, the owner looked after the trawlers engines - fortunately the pillbox was not needed during the war years and I don't remember anybody ever going into it. My grandfather Frank Hawker was in charge of the local coastguard and he used a lookout point on Branscombe beach - Alan Cartlidge, an old Beer boy living in Gibraltar

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That's amazing, Alan. Thank you for the reply; it's lovely to hear from those that have a personal history with these places. Cheers.