THE SITE OF THE COAST-BATTERY IN 2004

Sixty years, nearly, have passed since the Workington coast-battery was last used; never ('Bring-To' incident notwithstanding) - fortunately - against any threat of invasion. Apart from a few disparate, severed lumps of ferro-concrete hidden in the tufts of sea-grass and down on the beach amongst the cobbles and solidified slag, a first-time visitor would have no real idea of the area's past history.

It is understandable, perhaps, that a war-weary generation wished to erase any reminder of recent events, and the battery was torn down; the area - along with its pre-WWII industrial legacy - reclaimed and 'tidied up'. Even the more permanent batteries at places like Walney Island could not survive, let alone emergency batteries built with rapidity - unmatched since war-time - to serve a specific need, like those here and at Whitehaven.

I took some of the following photographs on a bright, breezy afternoon in late January 2004, and the remainder some three months later on Easter Monday, when the tide was out. Despite the general quietness - punctuated only by the gentle whooshing of the giant wind-turbines and the cars on the little clifftop car-park, I tried to put myself in the Gunners' shoes, and visualise life on the battery a mere two-and-a-bit generations ago. I hope you like them.

THE SITE OF THE BATTERY ENCAMPMENT
A panoramic image of the site of the battery camp, taken from the top of what was the battery assault course.
CLIFFS LOOKING SW CLIFFS LOOKING NORTH S. SEARCHLIGHT
The site of the guns on the cliffs. The site of the guns on the cliffs. The site of the South Searchlight emplacement.
FROM N. SEARCHLIGHT THE SEA-WALL THE SEA-WALL
The view from the north searchlight position. The site of the guns on the cliffs from the sea-wall, and the roof of a ZAA Magazine. The sea-wall looking south.

The three photographs below were taken at low tide on Easter Monday 2004. Left to right: Concrete-filled sandbagged support to buttress the slag-bank cliffs below number 1 gun; A panoramic view of the (south) concrete sea-wall which illustrates the location of the guns, a ZAA magazine, and the south searchlight emplacement; A picture of the (north) concrete terraced sea-wall with the approximate position of the north searchlight indicated.

GUN BUTTRESSING THE (SOUTH) SEA-WALL THE (NORTH) SEA-WALL
The concrete-filled sandbag buttressing for No:1 gun. The (south) sea defence wall, and an outline of the location of guns and south searchlight. The (north) sea defence wall.

1948 Aerial Photo | Main Coast-Battery Page | XDO / Marines Signals Post | Graphic

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