Originally proposed as a battery for one 17-inch B.L. gun in 1885, Raleigh Battery was constructed, between 1890 and 1894, to the south and east of Hawkins Battery and Maker Farm on sloping land facing the sea. Its primary purpose was as a counter-bombardment role, to prevent ships from lying at anchor in the sea off Cawsand Bay and to assist Fort Picklecombe in commanding the approaches to the Sound.
The battery consists of two barbette emplacements, side by side, but separated by the underground magazine stores. The emplacements face almost due south. A tunnel from the left emplacement slopes down through the magazine main passage, underneath a central earth traverse, to the right emplacement. At each end of this passage is a recess with brackets for the storage of side arms. To the south of this magazine passage are the two cartridge stores which are accessed via a shifting lobby. This also served as the lighting passage, with two lamp recesses serving each store. Each cartridge store has a serving hatch onto the magazine passage. Two more lamp recesses were built into the wall of the magazine passage, those at the ends needing a grating set into the floor to allow the lamps to be inserted because of the slope of the passage upwards at each end towards the gun emplacements. To the north of the magazine passage is the shell store with a central doorway. This has a single lamp recess either side of the door. A lamp room was built into the seaward side of the concrete apron of the right access tunnel. An oil and paint store is situated to the rear of the right emplacement. Each gun emplacement is provided with an R.A. store, a cartridge recess, a shell recess and a shelter for the crew built into the concrete apron of the emplacement. Behind each emplacement is a Depression Range Finding pillar.
To the rear of the left gun emplacement, a water catchment area provided fresh water held in storage tanks. The whole of the battery was surrounded by a Morton's steel palisade fence, 9ft. 3ins high. In four places this was formed into bastion shaped projections, possibly for flank defence from within (nothing of this now survives, apart from portions of post). This fence was surrounded by a wall with a hedge outside. To the rear of the right gun emplacement is a caretaker's cottage consisting of two bedrooms, a living room and scullery with a coal yard and verandah. The battery had no barrack accommodation and was to be manned in time of need only. The two emplacements are for totally different mountings, one being the Royal Carriage Department mounting, the other for the Elswick Ordnance Company mounting. These appear to be the two test mountings for the 10-inch B.L. first fired at South Hook Fort but not adopted into the service and as such Raleigh battery is unique. The guns remained in place until 1908 when they were placed in reserve. They were dismounted by 1910 and the MOD abandoned the battery in 1946.
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The battery consists of two barbette emplacements, side by side, but separated by the underground magazine stores. The emplacements face almost due south. A tunnel from the left emplacement slopes down through the magazine main passage, underneath a central earth traverse, to the right emplacement. At each end of this passage is a recess with brackets for the storage of side arms. To the south of this magazine passage are the two cartridge stores which are accessed via a shifting lobby. This also served as the lighting passage, with two lamp recesses serving each store. Each cartridge store has a serving hatch onto the magazine passage. Two more lamp recesses were built into the wall of the magazine passage, those at the ends needing a grating set into the floor to allow the lamps to be inserted because of the slope of the passage upwards at each end towards the gun emplacements. To the north of the magazine passage is the shell store with a central doorway. This has a single lamp recess either side of the door. A lamp room was built into the seaward side of the concrete apron of the right access tunnel. An oil and paint store is situated to the rear of the right emplacement. Each gun emplacement is provided with an R.A. store, a cartridge recess, a shell recess and a shelter for the crew built into the concrete apron of the emplacement. Behind each emplacement is a Depression Range Finding pillar.
To the rear of the left gun emplacement, a water catchment area provided fresh water held in storage tanks. The whole of the battery was surrounded by a Morton's steel palisade fence, 9ft. 3ins high. In four places this was formed into bastion shaped projections, possibly for flank defence from within (nothing of this now survives, apart from portions of post). This fence was surrounded by a wall with a hedge outside. To the rear of the right gun emplacement is a caretaker's cottage consisting of two bedrooms, a living room and scullery with a coal yard and verandah. The battery had no barrack accommodation and was to be manned in time of need only. The two emplacements are for totally different mountings, one being the Royal Carriage Department mounting, the other for the Elswick Ordnance Company mounting. These appear to be the two test mountings for the 10-inch B.L. first fired at South Hook Fort but not adopted into the service and as such Raleigh battery is unique. The guns remained in place until 1908 when they were placed in reserve. They were dismounted by 1910 and the MOD abandoned the battery in 1946.
