Ramparts, Counterscarp Revetment, Glacis, Musketry Wall Of Southern Fort

The Ramparts, counterscarp revetment, glacis, and musketry wall of the southern fort, also known as the walls of the redoubt southeast of Berry Head Common, are military defenses constructed between 1794 and 1804, likely designed by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Mercer. Built from roughly coursed Devonian limestone rubble with a granite string course, the redoubt is situated on the southern promontory of Berry Head Country Park, intended to protect the landward approach to the northern fort. The ramparts are three-sided, featuring 12 gun embrasures on the southwest side and 7 on the northwest side, each with a sunken gun platform behind it. The north side lacks embrasures, as it was shielded by the northern fort's guns. The entrance, which has been stripped of its original features, is located on the north side and is accessed by an earthen causeway, though it is said that a drawbridge was originally present. Surrounding the ramparts is a deep, dry moat that reaches the cliff edge at both ends. On the rampart side, there is a steeply sloping stone revetment wall capped with a rounded granite string course below the gun embrasures. The opposite side of the moat features an earth embankment with a nearly vertical stone revetment wall facing the moat and a gentle slope or glacis on the outside. The southern side of the fort, which faces the sea, is primarily protected by steep cliffs, but a section of stone rubble musketry wall remains at the western end. This redoubt is often referred to as No.1 Fort in scholarly works and is part of a larger network of fortifications built at Berry Head following the onset of war with France in 1793. It is recognized as one of the most complete surviving examples of purpose-built Napoleonic fortifications in south-west England.