The Camber At Rnad Bull Point

The Camber at RNAD Bull Point is a structure built between 1851 and 1854, designed by the Commanding Royal Engineer in Devonport for the Board of Ordnance. It consists of walls that enclose a wet dock, constructed from granite ashlar with granite coping and limestone on the inner face. The walls form four sides of the dock, featuring a central opening to the west. The seaward face and top of the granite have a deep bull nose moulding along the upper surface.

Historically, Bull Point is situated just north of the Royal Navy's Steam Yard at Keyham and represents the last significant project undertaken by the Board of Ordnance, which was dissolved in 1856. The site was designed to store 40,000 barrels of powder and included a floating magazine for unloading powder and the 1805 St Budeaux laboratory for checking and processing it before transport to the Bull Point magazines. Unlike other yards, Bull Point was specifically planned with buildings dedicated to the processing and storage of new types of ordnance, which greatly influenced naval ship and fortification design. The buildings, primarily made of ashlar with rock-faced dressings, create a stylistically coherent ensemble that reflects the high standards of the Ordnance Board in its designs for fortifications and barracks since the 17th century. This site is a notable example of integrated factory planning from that period.