Crownhill Fort, Plymouth
Outer Defences
Outer Defences
I have not done a report recently - still trying to do a couple local ones, and looking to travel a little further too at some point!
In the mean time, here is one I keep meaning to do from earlier this year (I assume I have not already done it and it was pulled or purged!).
Thanks to Bunkertastic for info on this place - I enjoyed a McDonalds breakfast
Some history:
The main tunnel was built as a 'Countermining Gallery' for Crownhill Fort during the 1860's. This was to make sure that if the crafty French tried to tunnel in from the north, we could blow them up with charges in tunnels of our own! This approach was greatly enhanced by intersecting two East/West tunnels which carried the Plymouth and Devonport leats, which where already in place and bringing fresh water from Dartmoor into the towns.
The two tunnels that contained the leats are parallel and about 2m apart, one tunnel is 2 foot higher than the other. The higher of the two tunnels used to carry the Plymouth leat which Sir Francis Drake had built in 1590-91 (construction was held up by the war with Spain and the Armada!). The lower Devonport leat was not built until the 1790's.
The Countermining Gallery is built with walls of local stone with a brick vaulted roof, in a similar way to those built inside the fort. The tunnels for the leats are semi-circular arches of local stone, parts of which have been covered with a cement surface. Where the tunnels near the ends the roof is constructed by huge slabs of stone.
And the photos from the day - early on with my shiny DSLR (not so shiny now!).
Ready to go??
The fort itself opposite the countermining gallery
The main entrance into the countermining gallery
The intersection between the tunnel/leats
The intersection between the leats/tunnel
One of the long tunnels into the woods
One of the exits into the woods
Looking back from in the woods
Looking down the uncovered parts of the leat
Entrance of the second leat tunnel
Inside the tunnel that had been demolished where housing has been built.
Last edited:
