This has only been covered a couple of times on here, and each time it was an overgrown mess with a lot of areas blocked off. However, Drake's Island is currently open for visits, there's a tour operating, and there's a company running Airsoft Skirmishes.
The marshals are happy for you to go for a wander before/after the day is over, as long as you're back in time for the ferry, so Airsoft is probably the best way to see everything, as you have the freedom to wander where you want. No drone shots on this occasion unfortunately, as much as I wanted to, the weather was dire on the 2nd visit.
The History
The island had it's first documented building during the reign of Henry I in 1135 with a chapel dedicated to St Michael being present, although it is thought it was built prior to this. It was later rededicated to St Nicholas, with the island taking the same name. The island had a quiet life until the reign of Henry VIII who developed the first fortifications on the island, demolishing the chapel and recycling the stone to build Tudor Artillery Towers in 1550. It became known as Drake's Island after Sir Francis Drake was made governor in 1583, although it also continued to be referred to as St Nicholas's Island until well into the C20th.
The island played a key role in helping Plymouth withstand a 4 year Royalist siege during the English Civil War, and was used by Charles II after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 as a prison, housing parliamentary military leaders and local non-conformist ministers. The island remained operational as a fort during this period, with the prison lasting until 1685.
The island underwent the first of numerous redevelopments in 1780 under plans for improving the defence of Plymouth, which were drawn up by Lt Col Matthew Nixon after a French Fleet almost managed to make landfall in an attack in 1779. All the buildings at the island's peak were demolished so that new gun batteries could be built, utilising the heights to increase the range of the cannons.
This was mostly completed by 1781, although further improvements and repairs continued until at least 1790.
The new batteries enhanced the island's armament considerably with there being 72 cannon of various weights, with 42, 32, 24 and 18 pounders all present. This was a significant increase from before the attack, when there were either 5 or 23 cannon in total, depending on which report from the time you reference.
The island underwent significant developments in 1860 as a result of an 1859 report by the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. The development of Drake's Battery as it remains today began, with the construction of the armoured Palmerston Casemates which housed twenty one 9 inch guns, along with five open gun emplacements, each housing a 12 inch rifled muzzle loaded gun. These were capable of sinking the Ironclad warships being fielded by the most modern navies of the time.
Searchlights were added around the island in 1895, and numerous Casemates were repurposed, with one featuring a ramp allowing access to a searchlight position on the foreshore, and others being converted to house engines and generators, with fitter workshops and stores also being added. Telephone lines were laid around the island and back to the mainland.
The island lines linked fire control directly to the firing positions allowing direct communication by voice, which was a major leap forwards, as prior to this communication was done through the use of Trumpeters. The Trumpeters remained on the island as part of the Royal Artillery detachment manning the battery until the end of WW1, presumably as a reserve in case the new phone lines failed during an attack.
Technology was advancing rapidly during this period, soon rendering the Palmerston fortifications obsolete, so between 1897-1901, the battery's armament was modernised. The muzzle loaders were replaced with six 12 pound QF guns in 1897, and some 6 inch guns were added in 1901, utilising three gun emplacements with three guns each. The command structure on the island was centralised with the addition of a Command and Control centre in 1913.
The island was part of the Inner Line of defences for Plymouth Sound and HMNB Devonport, with the Outer Line consisting of Forts Picklecombe, Bovisand and the Breakwater Fort. This defensive layout remained in place for the duration of both World Wars.
At the outbreak of WW2, a 6 inch gun was moved to the mainland to bolster the defences in the Citadel, leaving two on the Centre Battery. A 12 pounder was also moved, being sent to Fort Picklecombe, leaving five on the island. Due to the age of the remaining guns, work began in August 1940 on two new gun emplacements which were to house upgraded twin 6 pound guns. These were completed and armed in August 1942, with two more 12 pounders being moved to Mount Batten on the mainland at the same time.
A final gun was installed in June 1943 in the form of a Bofors 40mm AA Gun for the local defence of the island. This gun would see the island's only action of the war, firing 8 shots at an enemy aircraft on the 13th June 1944, all of which missed. The two remaining 6 inch gun emplacements were put into care and maintenance when the Bofors was installed, as the threat of invasion had all but disappeared, and the island fortifications were geared towards naval defence, so it was wasted manpower to keep them manned unnecessarily.
At some point in 1943, efforts were made to recover the old 9 inch casemate guns (weighing 12 tons each) from the Palmerston era from the Eastern Foreshore where they had been dumped in 1905. This was so the metal could be recovered for the war effort. It would appear nobody was aware that there were a few of the old 12 inch rifled guns (weighing a massive 25 tons each) buried at the top of the island, as they weren't scrapped, nor were they discovered when the Ministry of Supply were disarming and stripping the island of anything valuable when the military left. They were excavated at some point and can be viewed today.
The island was handed back to the Duchy of Cornwall in 1961, ending it's life for military use. An adventure centre was set up, which was operational from 1963 until 1989. The island was then put up for sale, but took until 1996 to sell, coming into the ownership of Dan McCauley who at one time was the chairman of Plymouth Argyle FC. The island came into the possession of it's current owner in 2019, with efforts to clear the island taking place to facilitate tours.
The Explore
Covered this over two separate visits for Airsoft purposes, first time with my phone and a WML (couldn't get the fucking thing in high mode for most of the day though), second time I took gear and wandered around prior to the games starting. All photos are from the second visit when I wasn't being shot at
There's a previous report (Here and Here) covering the site, but there's been significant efforts to clear out all the undergrowth, so check them out to see the site in its completely abandoned state.
First area you come to is the accomodation area. Unfortunately the complex of buildings is inaccessible except for the old toilet block due to them being in a dangerous condition, although at least two are open, so if you were to visit unofficially, you could easily slip in for a poke around.
I'm glad I waited for a revisit with gear, as even more has been cleared out, with the vast majority of the tunnels now open. First game next year may be ideal for some aerial shots with more undergrowth cleared, and the winter weather killing off the rest.
Unfortunately the searchlight positions are inaccessible, at least for now, along with the command centre, which only has a window accessible at the moment. You could climb in, but it's extremely slippery, with a sheer drop to the bottom of the Casemates behind you, so probably ill advised.
Anyway, on to the good stuff!
The Casemates
Spiral -
Armour -
Exit -
The Tunnels
Passageways -
Chamber -
Paint Peel -
Lifting Gear -
Cartridge Lift to the surface -
Old Signage -
Switchgear -
Resident -
The Centre Gun Battery
Cartridge Lifts -
12 Pounder Battery -
12 Inch Rifled Guns -
Rifling -
Possible Surviving 9 Inch Gun -
Staircase -
Not overly sure what this building was for, it has a Flagpole on the roof currently -
Thanks for looking
The marshals are happy for you to go for a wander before/after the day is over, as long as you're back in time for the ferry, so Airsoft is probably the best way to see everything, as you have the freedom to wander where you want. No drone shots on this occasion unfortunately, as much as I wanted to, the weather was dire on the 2nd visit.
The History
The island had it's first documented building during the reign of Henry I in 1135 with a chapel dedicated to St Michael being present, although it is thought it was built prior to this. It was later rededicated to St Nicholas, with the island taking the same name. The island had a quiet life until the reign of Henry VIII who developed the first fortifications on the island, demolishing the chapel and recycling the stone to build Tudor Artillery Towers in 1550. It became known as Drake's Island after Sir Francis Drake was made governor in 1583, although it also continued to be referred to as St Nicholas's Island until well into the C20th.
The island played a key role in helping Plymouth withstand a 4 year Royalist siege during the English Civil War, and was used by Charles II after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 as a prison, housing parliamentary military leaders and local non-conformist ministers. The island remained operational as a fort during this period, with the prison lasting until 1685.
The island underwent the first of numerous redevelopments in 1780 under plans for improving the defence of Plymouth, which were drawn up by Lt Col Matthew Nixon after a French Fleet almost managed to make landfall in an attack in 1779. All the buildings at the island's peak were demolished so that new gun batteries could be built, utilising the heights to increase the range of the cannons.
This was mostly completed by 1781, although further improvements and repairs continued until at least 1790.
The new batteries enhanced the island's armament considerably with there being 72 cannon of various weights, with 42, 32, 24 and 18 pounders all present. This was a significant increase from before the attack, when there were either 5 or 23 cannon in total, depending on which report from the time you reference.
The island underwent significant developments in 1860 as a result of an 1859 report by the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. The development of Drake's Battery as it remains today began, with the construction of the armoured Palmerston Casemates which housed twenty one 9 inch guns, along with five open gun emplacements, each housing a 12 inch rifled muzzle loaded gun. These were capable of sinking the Ironclad warships being fielded by the most modern navies of the time.
Searchlights were added around the island in 1895, and numerous Casemates were repurposed, with one featuring a ramp allowing access to a searchlight position on the foreshore, and others being converted to house engines and generators, with fitter workshops and stores also being added. Telephone lines were laid around the island and back to the mainland.
The island lines linked fire control directly to the firing positions allowing direct communication by voice, which was a major leap forwards, as prior to this communication was done through the use of Trumpeters. The Trumpeters remained on the island as part of the Royal Artillery detachment manning the battery until the end of WW1, presumably as a reserve in case the new phone lines failed during an attack.
Technology was advancing rapidly during this period, soon rendering the Palmerston fortifications obsolete, so between 1897-1901, the battery's armament was modernised. The muzzle loaders were replaced with six 12 pound QF guns in 1897, and some 6 inch guns were added in 1901, utilising three gun emplacements with three guns each. The command structure on the island was centralised with the addition of a Command and Control centre in 1913.
The island was part of the Inner Line of defences for Plymouth Sound and HMNB Devonport, with the Outer Line consisting of Forts Picklecombe, Bovisand and the Breakwater Fort. This defensive layout remained in place for the duration of both World Wars.
At the outbreak of WW2, a 6 inch gun was moved to the mainland to bolster the defences in the Citadel, leaving two on the Centre Battery. A 12 pounder was also moved, being sent to Fort Picklecombe, leaving five on the island. Due to the age of the remaining guns, work began in August 1940 on two new gun emplacements which were to house upgraded twin 6 pound guns. These were completed and armed in August 1942, with two more 12 pounders being moved to Mount Batten on the mainland at the same time.
A final gun was installed in June 1943 in the form of a Bofors 40mm AA Gun for the local defence of the island. This gun would see the island's only action of the war, firing 8 shots at an enemy aircraft on the 13th June 1944, all of which missed. The two remaining 6 inch gun emplacements were put into care and maintenance when the Bofors was installed, as the threat of invasion had all but disappeared, and the island fortifications were geared towards naval defence, so it was wasted manpower to keep them manned unnecessarily.
At some point in 1943, efforts were made to recover the old 9 inch casemate guns (weighing 12 tons each) from the Palmerston era from the Eastern Foreshore where they had been dumped in 1905. This was so the metal could be recovered for the war effort. It would appear nobody was aware that there were a few of the old 12 inch rifled guns (weighing a massive 25 tons each) buried at the top of the island, as they weren't scrapped, nor were they discovered when the Ministry of Supply were disarming and stripping the island of anything valuable when the military left. They were excavated at some point and can be viewed today.
The island was handed back to the Duchy of Cornwall in 1961, ending it's life for military use. An adventure centre was set up, which was operational from 1963 until 1989. The island was then put up for sale, but took until 1996 to sell, coming into the ownership of Dan McCauley who at one time was the chairman of Plymouth Argyle FC. The island came into the possession of it's current owner in 2019, with efforts to clear the island taking place to facilitate tours.
The Explore
Covered this over two separate visits for Airsoft purposes, first time with my phone and a WML (couldn't get the fucking thing in high mode for most of the day though), second time I took gear and wandered around prior to the games starting. All photos are from the second visit when I wasn't being shot at
There's a previous report (Here and Here) covering the site, but there's been significant efforts to clear out all the undergrowth, so check them out to see the site in its completely abandoned state.
First area you come to is the accomodation area. Unfortunately the complex of buildings is inaccessible except for the old toilet block due to them being in a dangerous condition, although at least two are open, so if you were to visit unofficially, you could easily slip in for a poke around.
I'm glad I waited for a revisit with gear, as even more has been cleared out, with the vast majority of the tunnels now open. First game next year may be ideal for some aerial shots with more undergrowth cleared, and the winter weather killing off the rest.
Unfortunately the searchlight positions are inaccessible, at least for now, along with the command centre, which only has a window accessible at the moment. You could climb in, but it's extremely slippery, with a sheer drop to the bottom of the Casemates behind you, so probably ill advised.
Anyway, on to the good stuff!
The Casemates
Spiral -
Armour -
Exit -
The Tunnels
Passageways -
Chamber -
Paint Peel -
Lifting Gear -
Cartridge Lift to the surface -
Old Signage -
Switchgear -
Resident -
The Centre Gun Battery
Cartridge Lifts -
12 Pounder Battery -
Staircase -
Not overly sure what this building was for, it has a Flagpole on the roof currently -
Thanks for looking
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