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Summary

The First World blockhouse is visible as a rectangular roofless structure on aerial photographs taken between 1946 and 1955. It is obscured by tree cover on more recent aerial imagery, but survived as a masonry structure with loop holes in 1992.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002585: Staddon Heights Defences including Fort Staddon Fort, Brownhill Battery, Watch House Battery, Staddon Heights Battery, Staddon Battery and associated features and structures

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX45SE/19/4
• Old SAM County Ref: 720

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BLOCKHOUSE (World War I - 1914 AD to 1918 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2127-2128 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

A roofless rectilinear structure is visible.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2105, RAF/CPE/UK/2105 RP 3138-3139 28-MAY-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351151.

A roofless rectilinear structure is visible.

Royal Air Force, 1955, RAF/540/1625, RAF/540/1625 F21 0026-0027 24-MAY-1955 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351141.

A roofless rectilinear structure is visible.

1992, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV159883.

Des=plymouth fortress survey /pye, a.(1992)/copy and plan in smr.

PLYMOUTH FORTRESS SURVEY, 1992, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV27236.

Blockhouse or guardhouse. Small rectangular single-storey masonry structure with loop-holes through east, north and south-facing walls. Adjoins entrance through war dept iron rail fence within the bottom of the 1860s ditch to the south-east of the battery, which protects the pf cells. Probably dates to world war 1; now roofless and derelict.(plymouth fortress survey).

Pye, A. + Woodward, F., 1996, The Historic Defences of Plymouth, Fig. 109; Fig 110 (Monograph). SDV167752.

The structure is marked as a blockhouse.

English Heritage, 2014, Staddon Heights, Blockhouse by Watch House Ditch (Correspondence). SDV356509.

Prompted by the consideration of Fort Staddon for designation as a scheduled monument, the integrated set of 19th century defences on the coastline at Staddon Heights outside Plymouth, Devon have been given a comprehensive assessment. This includes the consolidation and amendment of some designations, and the consideration of some assets that are not currently designated. The Blockhouse by Watch House Brake falls into the latter category.
The small rectangular structure is probably of First World War date and is shown on a 1920s lease plan forStaddon Battery. It is single-storey and constructed of concrete. During the 1991-2 Plymouth Fortress Survey it was noted as being roofless and derelict. In the C21, the level of survival of the walls is not known due to the heavy undergrowth and the difficulty of accessing the site.
Based on the information provided and with reference to the Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings (March 2010) and English Heritage's Selection Guides, The Blockhouse by Watch House Brake is not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons:
Date: the blockhouse dates from a later phase than the C19 fortifications in the area and,
therefore, the criteria for designation are more strict;
Intactness: the building does not appear to remain intact;
Group value: the building does not form a group with other buildings of its date, and the nearby
Position-Finder Station that it served also does not meet the criteria for designation.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A rectangular roofless structure, approximately 5 by 3.5 metres in plan, is visible on aerial photographs taken between 1946 and 1955. It corresponds to the location of the First World War blockhouse recorded by Pye and Woodward (1993). It appears to have been roofless by 1946, but is obscured by tree cover on more recent aerial imagery.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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