Scraesdon Fort

Scraesdon Fort is a fort dating from the 1860s, designed in 1859 and completed in 1865. It was constructed of rockfaced limestone rubble with stone dressings. The fort is an irregular five-sided structure with an entrance to the south-east, surrounded by a moat. Originally, 27 guns were mounted on the ramparts. The northern side of the fort was covered with earth to screen the interior from observation from high ground across the Lynher River, approximately 200 yards away. Barracks and storage rooms are located around the inner sides of the walls. A flight of steps leads down to the moat on the north-east side.

The entrance bay features a stepped parapet with splayed openings and two lancet windows. A tall, round-headed doorway has roll-mouldings and pulleys on either side for a drawbridge, with a lantern overthrow and double round-headed, studded doors. To the left of the entrance are twelve bays, each with a triplet opening consisting of a central round-headed casement with voussoirs, and narrow single lights on either side. To the right of the entrance are two similar bays. A two-story ravelin is located to the right, with lancet windows, a blocking course, and a hipped stone roof. The wall is splayed forward to the left, featuring lancets at ground floor level.

The entrance has a round brick-vaulted roof, with a doorway to the right leading to chambers, and a lantern overthrow at the inner arch. Round-arched bays in stone are located on each side of the inner walls, each arch above a central doorway with window openings on either side, and with a parapet above. Double external staircases on the north-east and south-west sides provide access to the roof, with arches beneath the stairs. All rooms are brick vaulted. A tunnel is located on the north-east side. A circular caponier is situated to the north, incorporating a gun emplacement with a central iron mounting and a circular pivoting track marked with degrees - a Moncrieff mounting.

The fort was commissioned in 1859 following public concern about the construction of iron-clad warships by the French Navy, under the direction of Palmerston and supervised by Colonel Sir W.F. Drummond Jarvis of the Royal Engineers. Scraesdon Fort formed part of the outer line of defences for Plymouth. It is designated as Ancient Monument no. 649.