Cliff End Battery

Cliff End Battery is a battery on the west coast of the Isle of Wight overlooking Fort Albert. It is one of the many Palmerston Forts built on the island to protect it in response to a perceived French invasion. Construction of the battery began in 1862 and was completed by 1868 at a cost of £32, 714. In 1877 it mounted six 12. 5-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) Guns and three 10-inch Rifle Muzzle Loading Guns. From 1899 the obsolete RML guns were removed and replaced by 6-inch guns and 4. 7-inch guns. Today some of the gun emplacements remain. Much of the land is used as a site for holiday bungalows. The six 12. 5-inch RML guns which were pushed over the cliff when they were dismounted after 1899 have since been recovered, with one of them now outside of Fort Albert, and two at Hurst Castle on the other side of the Needles passage.

Cliff End Battery is a battery on the west coast of the Isle of Wight overlooking Fort Albert. It is one of the many Palmerston Forts built on the island to protect it in response to a perceived French invasion. Construction of the battery began in 1862 and was completed by 1868 at a cost of £32, 714. In 1877 it mounted six 12. 5-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) Guns and three 10-inch Rifle Muzzle Loading Guns. From 1899 the obsolete RML guns were removed and replaced by 6-inch guns and 4. 7-inch guns. Today some of the gun emplacements remain. Much of the land is used as a site for holiday bungalows. The six 12. 5-inch RML guns which were pushed over the cliff when they were dismounted after 1899 have since been recovered, with one of them now outside of Fort Albert, and two at Hurst Castle on the other side of the Needles passage.