Listed Building: THE CITADEL, DISUSED BATTERY APPROXIMATELY 150 METRES SOUTH EAST SOUTH OF SOUTH ENTRANCE (381952)

PORTLAND SY6873 GLACIS, The Verne 969-1/3/170 (West side) The Citadel, disused battery approx 150m SES of South Entrance GV II Disused artillery battery. Dated 1892 and 1898. Portland stone, concrete, brick; tunnels roofed in earth and grass. A large artillery complex outside the main confines of the Verne, with 2 single emplacements and a run of 6 linked by three tunnel runs, and based on series of entrenchments c 4.5 m wide; long N/S run c 120m dying out to north, 3 E/W arms, and a projecting curved arm of c 55m running out at S/W limit. Retaining walls to trenches in good ashlar, rough coursed stone, or brick variously, and rising to c 1.6m on average. At E end of northernmost arm, and at extreme of SW arm are single emplacments in concrete and brick, with set of concrete steps giving to trench; series of 6 emplacements to SE with flat concrete top, linked by bridge to ramp, with narrow gauge rails along top and to ramps, also in trench, passing into tunnel entries N and S. The semicircular emplacements all have two concentric rows of hexagonal-headed fixing bolts at base. A cast concrete barrel-vaulted tunnel runs N/S in two sections; that to N has pedimented arched entries set back in raked revetments, all rendered, at each end, with square panel to pediment inscribed VR 1892 over round arch with iron railed openings. Middle section of tunnel has similar entries but to flat parapet over segmental arch, down 8 steps to bricked-up openings, dated VR 1898. Third tunnel runs in an arc W to E, with 1892 pedimented entries as at north end. Near the S end of the main N/S trench are two blockhouses, both to heavy rock-faced stone quoins, and with flat roofs contained with blocking of large Portland slabs over heavy square cornice, all former door or window openings blocked. That to N is in ashlar, and to S is scribed rendering. This was a substantial emplacement, now outside the main body of The Verne fortifications and freely accessible to pedestrians. Listing NGR: SY6943873259

Record last edited

Aug 20 2014 12:09PM