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Summary

The butts and two shooting points of a rifle range established between 1865 and 1886 are visible as short linear earthwork banks on aerial photographs taken in 1946. One has probably been levelled, and the other two may be obscured by scrub. The range was in use until 1908.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021430: The Old Redoubt and later Victorian Rifle Range Target, 540m south west of Berry Head Fort

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RIFLE RANGE (XX - 1901 AD to 2000 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

A rifle range is depicted, with target and 300 yard and 200 yard shooting points.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 3208-3209 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

Three separate roughly linear banks are visible as earthworks.

Pye, A.R., 1989, Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment, 13, 38 (Report - Assessment). SDV362497.

Rifle range established between 1865 (it is not shown on the Ordnance Survey map of this date) and 1886, when access to and use of it was stipulated in the deed of sale of the common and forts to Hogg. The butts are shown on the 1906 Ordnance Survey map at 200 and 300 yards. The rifle range went out of use between 1906 and 1938. The butts were removed in the 1970s.

Pye, A.R. & Slater, W.D., 1990, Berry Head Fort, Brixham, An Archaeological Survey, 8 (Report - Survey). SDV362493.

The rifle range was established between 1865-1886.

Channel Coast Observatory, 2001-2012, Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography, Channel Coastal Observatory SX9456_20120918ortho.ecw 18-SEP-2012 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351226.

Much of the area is now scrub covered. No earthworks are visible.

Armitage, P. L., 2006, More buttons, bullets & bones, 13 (Article in Serial). SDV364324.

A metal detecting survey was undertaken of the rifle range in July 2006. Fifty seven bullets were recorded. Clusters of revolver bullets showed the original location of the revolver target.

Passmore, A. J., 2010, Archaeological Recording at Berry Head, Brixham, Devon, May to October 2009, 8-9, 12 (Report - Assessment). SDV364281.

The firing range was in use from the 1860s until 1908. Spent bullets and cartridges found in the guardhouse in Fort 1 were probably from the range.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

Three short linear banks are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946. They correspond to the butts and 200 yards and 300 yard shooting points depicted on the 1904-1906 Ordnance Survey mapping, and are presumably part of this nineteenth or twentieth century rifle range. It is not clear whether this site was used for target practice during the Second World War. None of the earthworks are visible on later aerial photographs and at least one is likely to have been levelled, although the sites of the two southernmost earthworks were obscured by scrub in 2012.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV325644	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 3208-3209 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #64887 ]
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV351226	Aerial Photograph: Channel Coast Observatory. 2001-2012. Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography. Channel Coast Observatory. Digital. Channel Coastal Observatory SX9456_20120918ortho.ecw 18-SEP-2012.
SDV362493	Report - Survey: Pye, A.R. & Slater, W.D.. 1990. Berry Head Fort, Brixham, An Archaeological Survey. Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit Report. EMAFU 90.10. Hardcopy + Digital. 8.
	Linked documents:1
SDV362497	Report - Assessment: Pye, A.R.. 1989. Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment. Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit. EMAFU 89.04. Hardcopy + Digital. 13, 38.
	Linked documents:1
SDV364281	Report - Assessment: Passmore, A. J.. 2010. Archaeological Recording at Berry Head, Brixham, Devon, May to October 2009. Exeter Archaeology. 10.73. Digital. 8-9, 12.
	Linked documents:1
SDV364324	Article in Serial: Armitage, P. L.. 2006. More buttons, bullets & bones. Council for British Archaeology South-West Journal. 18. A4 Paperback + Digital. 13.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV7834 - Archaeological Assessment of the Berry Head Forts
• EDV7835 - Archaeological Survey of the Berry Head Forts

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