Abandoned Hampshire: Browndown Battery- Portsmouth
Browndown Battery was a military coastal defence fortification at Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth in Hampshire. It is one of a host of Urbex sites in the area. Two basic batteries were first built here in 1852 to defend Portsmouth Harbour and prevent enemies from landing on the beach. The design of the batteries was criticised at the time. By 1870 the Eastern Battery was no longer in use. The Eastern Battery was removed and the Western Battery was updated- modern guns were installed and an artillery store was built. The Battery was disarmed in 1906 after being declared superfluous by the Owen Report in 1905.
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The battery was retained by the army as part of the Browndown Training facility and Browndown Ranges. It saw a brief new lease of life when a lookout post was constructed on top of the east gun position as part of the training area used by the combined services hovercraft unit. It is now abandoned and is a Grade II Listed building.
Last Updated on 16 November 2021 by Michael
