MHG30335 - Site of Royal Marine Battery, Corran Point
Summary
The site of a First World War Royal Marine coastal battery.
Type and Period (1)
- COASTAL BATTERY (Constructed, First World War - 1914 AD to 1918 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Road improvements have obliterated the site which was on the south side of Corran Point lighthouse. Photos in Royal Marines Museum, Eastney (labelled incorrectly as Conau Point). <1>
Martin Briscoe reports that there is an approximately rectangular concrete base of a building at NN 01616 63442 which was possibly associated with the battery. The nearby Ardgour war memorial also appears to be mounted on a holdfast for a gun (see MHG52403). <2> <3>
The photos in the Royal Marines Museum belong to the Imperial War Museum. Some pictures show two six pounders and others two eleven pounders. The six pounder has many more bolts on the holdfast than those seen below the war memorial at Ardgour (see MHG52403) but the eleven pounder mounting looks very like what can be seen today. There are some buildings shown near the guns. Two searchlights with a hut are shown below the guns, perhaps where the concrete base, previously identified, can be seen today. Some of the pictures have 1916 on the back suggesting that the battery was there to protect the general use of the Caledonian Canal for moving supplies rather than just the US Navy mining operations. <4>
A coast battery was established in 1917 to provide protection for the United States ships unloading mines at Corpach, for onward transport by lighter through the Caledonian Canal to the US Naval Base at Inverness.
This battery, apparently comprising two 15-pdr and one 7.5-inch howitzer, was situated just to the south of the lighthouse. The guns were positioned on holdfasts set into plain slabs of concrete, without any parapet; ammunition was stored in small wooden lockers. The battery was provided with two small searchlights, mounted on the shore beside a small wooden hut. The battery was manned by Royal Marines.
One holdfast is thought to survive beside the war memorial. Traces of a concrete platform which may be the searchlight emplacement was located by the road. Recorded as part of HS/RCAHMS World War One Audit Project, 2013. <5> <6> <7>
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SHG20874 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Guy, J. A.. 2000. Highland Region: A Survey of the 20th Century Defences. Historic Scotland. 30/01/2001. Digital (scanned as PDF). Vol. 1 pp.272-3 & Vol. 3 P26.
- <2> SHG22709 Text/Correspondence: Private individual. 2008-11. Feedback from website visitor. Yes. Digital. J M Briscoe, 26/01/2010.
- <3> SHG23810 Image/Photograph(s): Briscoe, J M. 2008-11. Information and photographs of various sites submitted by Martin Briscoe. Colour. Yes. Digital.
- <4> SHG24899 Text/Correspondence: Briscoe, J M. 09/2010. Email from Martin Briscoe regarding Corran Point Royal Marine Battery. Yes.
- <5> SHG23282 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Historic Environment Scotland. Canmore. 173997.
- <6> SHG27124 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Barclay, G.J.. 2014. The Built Heritage of the First World War in Scotland: The report of a project commissioned by Historic Scotland & RCAHMS. Unaffiliated. Digital. pp 38-9, Table 16.
- <7> SHG28062 Collection/Project Archive: Kilpatrick, A K. 2014. RCAHMS World War One Survey Project. Digital. No. 532.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NN 01622 63454 (99m by 100m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NN06SW |
| Civil Parish | ARDGOUR |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (2)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/173997 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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