Hatherwood Battery

Hatherwood Battery is a ruined Victorian coastal battery in Totland, on the western tip of the Isle of Wight, England. It stands east of Alum Bay on a gently sloping cliff and belongs to the family of Palmerston Forts, the defences raised along the English coast in the 19th century.

What is Hatherwood Battery?

It is an artillery battery from the era when Britain feared a French invasion. Following the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defences of the United Kingdom, a chain of forts and batteries was built to protect naval bases and sea routes. Hatherwood is described as the last of the works built in that programme to defend West Wight.

Why was it built here?

The position was chosen for its view over Alum Bay and the western approaches to the Solent. The battery was meant to keep enemy ships out of the West Solent shipping channel. It was sited to cross fire with the nearby Needles Battery, so that an attacker entering the channel would face guns from two directions at once.

What guns did it have?

Plans changed while the work was under way. The initial scheme was for six 68-pounder smooth-bore guns, but the armament was altered before completion. By 1886 two 12.5-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns weighing 38 tons had been installed in the centre, flanked by two 9-inch rifled muzzle-loaders on each side.

A position finding station, used to work out the range and bearing of ships, was built in 1886 on the high ground behind the battery. Sources differ on whether to call that ground Headon Warren or Headon Hill.

What happened to it later?

Erosion is the main reason for the site's story. The coast here keeps shifting, and the battery was abandoned in 1903. It was nevertheless reused by the Royal Navy between 1940 and 1943, during the Second World War.

Today it is a ruin. A 2015 survey by the CITiZAN coastal heritage project recorded considerable damage to the eastern flank of the battery. Erosion remains the chief threat to what is left. The surrounding Headon Warren is owned by the National Trust.

Visiting tips

• The battery is best combined with a walk around Headon Warren and the cliffs above Alum Bay, with wide views over the sea.
• Stay well back from the cliff edge. The ground is eroding, and parts of the structure are damaged.
• Pair the visit with other fortifications in West Wight, such as the Needles Battery, to see how the two positions were meant to work together.
• Check current access arrangements before you go, as paths near eroding cliffs can change.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Hatherwood Battery? In Totland on the Isle of Wight, east of Alum Bay, on the north-west coast of the island.

Is it one of the Palmerston Forts? Yes. It was built as part of the defences prompted by fears of French invasion in the mid-19th century.

Why was it abandoned in 1903? Ongoing soil erosion along this stretch of coast made the site unsuitable, and it was given up.

Was it used in the Second World War? Yes. The Royal Navy reused it from 1940 to 1943.

Can I still see the guns? No. The place is a ruin, and the large Victorian guns listed in the 1886 armament are not on show there.