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Summary

A Defence Electric Light which served the late Victorian Woolpack battery.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 15434: POST-MEDIEVAL BREASTWORK, CURTAIN WALL AND ASSOCIATED DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE GARRISON, ST MARY'S

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SV 80 NE 118
• National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1445353
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 7908.08

Monument Type(s):

• SEARCHLIGHT BATTERY (20th Century - 1901 AD to 2000 AD)

Full description

Built on top of a C17 battery at the apex of Woolpack Point is a Defence Electric Light (DEL), one of a pair, the other being approx 110m NNE (7908.07), which served the late Victorian Woolpack battery (7908.06). Its D-shaped plan is shown on the 1907 OS 1:2500 map with sub-rectangular surrounding fence extending onto rocks (b1). Planned at 1:100 by Parkes and Herring in 1990 (h1, b2) and visited by Johnson in 1990 (h2). Identified as a DEL by the Fortress Study Group in 1993 (b3). The platform of the earlier battery was raised on average by approx 2.0m with a gentle scarp approx 4.0m wide sloping down to the earlier battery's revetment. The DEL is built on this raised area, with an arc of protective spoil around the curved opening of the DEL. The shelter has a D-shaped plan 3.8m by 2.7m internally. Shuttered concrete wall and a reinforced flat concrete roof. Open front, facing SSW, would have been shuttered. An L-plan cable trench leads to a front of centre mounting for the light. There are mounds of earth, stone and rab to approx 1.8m high thrown up against the sides and rear leaning narrow gap to the doorway to the rear west corner (b2). The running channels for the sliding metal shutters are still intact. Square light mounting; cable trench leads to metal circular pipe at the back. A wooden doorframe survives and the door was double opening as fittings are in the centre of the frame (h2). Traces of barbed wire fence fixings are on the rocks on the foreshore and include an oval hole cut into a rock whose surface has been trimmed with tare and feather work (h1, h2, b2). Possisbly later than 1902 as it does not appear on a set of RA record plans of that date (b4). The monument is included in the Schedule.
(b3) - Fortress Study Group, 1993, Pers Comm,

Visited in 1995 (5): A 'D-shaped' rendered concrete building, 5m long by 3.8m wide and 2.9m high overall, with a flat, concrete roof supported by steel girders. The curved end faces seaward and contains the searchlight aperture, 1.25m high, with a 180 degree field of view and corroded iron shutter-guides along its upper and lower edges. A doorway is located in the recessed right-hand corner of the structure. The floor has the square outline of its searchlight mounting with an angled cable-supply trench. The building is partly masked by an earthen bank, rising to the base of the aperture but slightly higher at the rear, leaving an access gap. The bank joins the 17th century battery bank, where beyond the bank's seaward edge, a drainpipe emerges and cut T-section stanchion bases and grooves survive from former fences and barbed wire entanglements.

See also (6, 7).

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Site history:
1: 1990. PARKES, C AND HERRING, P/CAU
2: 1990. JOHNSON, ND/CAU
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National Monument Record, Defending the Isles of Scilly (Survey). SCO29941.

National Monument Record, The Garrison Survey, St. Mary's, Isle of Scilly (Survey). SCO29940.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

<2> RATCLIFFE, J & PARKES, C, 1990, ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK MARCH 1990, EARLY BATTERIES ON ST MARY'S (Unedited Source). SCO8942.

<4> KENNEY, AH, 1902, STEVAL AND WOOLPACK BATTERIES RECORD PLANS (Unedited Source). SCO6901.

<5> Field Investigator's Comments, MPPA/Hooley, D. 1995 (Survey). SCO29739.

<6> Bowden, M and Brodie, A, 2011, Defending Scilly, 55-63 (Bibliographic reference). SCO29932.

<7> Brodie, A, 2011, The Garrison, St Mary's Isles of Scilly: The Defences of the Garrison 1500-1945 - survey report, fig. 43 (Bibliographic reference). SCO24047.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO3128 - Garrison Walls, Isles of Scilly, conservation plan
• ECO3819 - Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951 (Ref: RDRS 56-2011)
• ECO6309 - The Garrison, St. Mary's: Survey

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