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Summary

Remains of an oven house between the kitchen and south musketry wall. The date of the building is unclear. It may have been added soon after completion of the curtain wall although it is not shown on a plan of 1811.

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

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX95NW/16/6
• Tide Project: 02/09/2022
• Torbay HER: MTO44735

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILITARY BUILDING (Built, XVIII to XIX - 1798 AD (Between) to 1865 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The remains of a rectangular building are shown.

Pye, A.R., 1989, Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment, 33 (Report - Assessment). SDV362497.

The site was partially excavated by the Brixham Museum and History society in 1961-2 but no detailed plans or description have been located

Pye, A.R. & Slater, W.D., 1990, Berry Head Fort, Brixham, An Archaeological Survey, 14 (Report - Survey). SDV362493.

An oven house built between 1798 and 1802. It abuts and post dates the south musketry wall. It is a small rectangular structure of roughly dressed limestone rubble, later subdivided. The original floor level is not visible but it was at least 1.0 metres lower than that of the kitchen. Only the south wall (in effect the musketry wall) and the west wall survive to near full height, the other walls have been demolished to their foundations. There was a doorway at east end of the north wall, and a possible window at the west end. Internally an oven flue survives in the west wall. It has been cut through the musketry wall to the south, as had another flue presumably serving an oven in the (now demolished) dividing wall to the east.

Passmore, A. J., 2010, Archaeological Recording at Berry Head, Brixham, Devon, May to October 2009, 1, 4, 11-12, Fig. 8 (Report - Assessment). SDV364281.

Archaeological recording was carried out by Exeter Archaeology in 2009 within Fort No. 1, during construction and conservation works undertaken as part of the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust’s ‘On The Edge’ project.
The date of the oven house is unclear. The building abuts the curtain wall suggesting that it was a secondary feature. However, this could just have been a construction technique with building works focusing initially on the defences with the oven being added once the wall was complete. It had one, possibly two flues and may have been two storied. It was subsequently enlarged with the addition of a second room on its western side. It is not shown on a plan of 1811 but it is depicted on the 1865 OS map.

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). [Mapped feature: #128679 ]
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. 14.
	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. 33.
	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. 1, 4, 11-12, Fig. 8.
	Linked documents:1

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7839 - Excavations by John Horsley - 1961/2
• EDV7797 - Architectural Survey by DA Buildings Section 1988
• EDV7832 - Documentary research on the Berry Head Fort
• EDV7834 - Archaeological Assessment of the Berry Head Forts
• EDV8911 - Archaeological recording at Berry Head, Brixham
• EDV7835 - Archaeological Survey of the Berry Head Forts

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