The Old Battery is a Grade II* listed building in the South Hams local planning authority area, England. First listed on 23 February 1994. A Victorian Artillery battery.

The Old Battery

WRENN ID
second-pilaster-heath
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
South Hams
Constituency
South Devon MP: Caroline Voaden (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
23 February 1994
Type
Artillery battery
Address
The Old Battery, Dartmouth
OS grid reference
SX 886 502
Coordinates
50.34187, -3.5656
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Old Battery is an artillery battery built in 1861, located at Dartmouth Castle. It was constructed on the site of Lamberds Bulwark, also known as Maiden Fort, and incorporates some masonry from the 17th or 18th century. The structure features a mix of local rubble on the landward side, but is predominantly made of snecked limestone with granite ashlar dressings. The battery has a square plan and includes casemates for three 64-pounder guns that face south-east towards the sea, with magazines located behind and some barrack accommodation. On top of the battery, there are embrasures for two additional guns, one of which has been restored on a replica traversing carriage. The other embrasure is now occupied by an octagonal painted brick emplacement for a 120mm gun, which was erected in 1940 and has a castellated parapet added to disguise it as an antiquity. The Old Battery is a notable example of a small Victorian artillery fort and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Local climate

The Old Battery receives an average of 940 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 71% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 95% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 2 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 99% of listed buildings. Of these, 1 follows at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

See all similar buildings →

this building   1 similar   nearby listed buildings

Nearby listed buildings

  1. Castle Tearooms Grade II 18 m
  2. Church of St Petrox Grade I 46 m
  3. Dartmouth Castle and Gun Platforms to West and South Grade I 57 m
  4. Walls of the Ruined Fortalice Grade I 63 m
  5. K6 Telephone Kiosk in Dartmouth Castle Grounds Grade II 76 m
  6. Gunfield and Attached Entrance Gateway to South Grade II 299 m
  7. Kingswear Torpedo Battery Grade II 362 m
  8. Kingswear Castle Grade I 407 m
  9. Lime Kiln and Associated Quay at Sx 8820 5037 Grade II 491 m
  10. Lime Kiln and Associated Quay at Sx 8813 5034 Grade II 555 m