Generator Stores
With the threat of a German land invasion, gun batteries were placed strategically along the south coast. Brownstone Battery was built at Froward Point above Kingswear in 1940 to protect the Dart Estuary and nearby beaches Slapton and Blackpool Sands. The Battery was manned by up to 300 soldiers.
The Battery has two gun positions. Each housed a six-inch gun, taken from a First World War battleship. The guns had a range of over 14 miles, and 13 men were needed to operate each gun. The men worked on a shift system.
The shells containing high explosives were propelled from the guns by 'charges.' These were either cordite, a silk bag filled with smaller bags of explosive, or a cartridge, a brass cylinder filled with explosive.
At the lower position, a miniature railway was built and the track carried shells down the steep slop from the ammunition store to the gun position. The shells were loaded onto a truck or bogey then freewheeled down with gears controlling the speed. An engine and pulley hoisted the truck back up the slope.
There are two searchlight positions at the battery. The reinforced concrete buildings housed powerful searchlights which scanned the sea for enemy ships. Five men operated each searchlight, working on shifts. Below the searchlights, the whole cliff area was covered in barbed wire.
The Battery was decommissioned in the late 1950s and is now managed by the National Trust.
Generator Stores
With the threat of a German land invasion, gun batteries were placed strategically along the south coast. Brownstone Battery was built at Froward Point above Kingswear in 1940 to protect the Dart Estuary and nearby beaches Slapton and Blackpool Sands. The Battery was manned by up to 300 soldiers.
The Battery has two gun positions. Each housed a six-inch gun, taken from a First World War battleship. The guns had a range of over 14 miles, and 13 men were needed to operate each gun. The men worked on a shift system.
The shells containing high explosives were propelled from the guns by 'charges.' These were either cordite, a silk bag filled with smaller bags of explosive, or a cartridge, a brass cylinder filled with explosive.
At the lower position, a miniature railway was built and the track carried shells down the steep slop from the ammunition store to the gun position. The shells were loaded onto a truck or bogey then freewheeled down with gears controlling the speed. An engine and pulley hoisted the truck back up the slope.
There are two searchlight positions at the battery. The reinforced concrete buildings housed powerful searchlights which scanned the sea for enemy ships. Five men operated each searchlight, working on shifts. Below the searchlights, the whole cliff area was covered in barbed wire.
The Battery was decommissioned in the late 1950s and is now managed by the National Trust.