Morecambe Bay Partnership Headlands to Headspace
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MORECAMBE BAY PARTNERSHIP HEADLANDS TO HEADSPACE THE MILITARY ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS OF WALNEY ISLAND: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK‐BASED ASSESSMENT The Military Archaeological Remains of Walney Island Desk-Based Assessment CONTENTS SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. 2 TRAINING, RESEARCH AND REPORT INFORMATION ................................................................. 2 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Circumstances of Project ............................................................................................ 3 1.2 The Purpose of the Desk‐Based Assessment ............................................................. 4 2 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Documentary Sources ................................................................................................ 4 2.3 Site Visit ...................................................................................................................... 5 3 BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Location, Topography and Geology ........................................................................... 6 3.2 Archaeological and Historical Background ................................................................ 6 3.3 Military Heritage ....................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Other defence features/sites ................................................................................... 20 3.5 Previous Archaeological Works ................................................................................ 21 4 CARTOGRAPHIC AND PICTORIAL SOURCES ...................................................................... 23 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 23 4.2 RAF Barrow (Walney) at its immediate environs‐ North Walney ........................... 24 4.3 Fort Walney‐ Central Walney ................................................................................... 25 4.4 Hilpsford Fort and H5 HAA Battery .......................................................................... 26 4.5 Aerial Photographs ................................................................................................... 28 4.6 Site Visit .................................................................................................................... 31 5 CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................... 31 5.1 Summary ................................................................................................................... 31 6 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 34 6.1 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX 1: HERITAGE ASSET GAZETTEER ............................................................................. 39 APPENDIX 2: PLATES ................................................................................................................ 73 APPENDIX 3: FIGURES .............................................................................................................. 92 Cover Image: Searchlight emplacement associated with the Hilpsford Fort on South Walney by Louise Martin The Military Archaeological Remains of Walney Island Desk-Based Assessment ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURES Figure 1: Site location Figure 2: Location of heritage assets within study area Figure 3: Location of military heritage assets Figure 4: The distribution of sites recorded as part of the Defence of Britain project. PLATES Plate 1. Plan of Walney Island Battery in 1911 (National Archives WO 78/4754) Plate 2. 1945 Plan of RAF Barrow. Northern section. Provided by Jo Sweeny. Plate 3. 1945 Plan of RAF Barrow. Southern section. Provided by Jo Sweeny. Plate 4. Sketch plan of Fort Walney Dated c.1941 (National Archives WO192318) Plate 5. Plan of Fort Walney c.1941 (National Archives WO192318) Plate 6. Close‐up of plan of Fort Walney c.1941 (National Archives WO 192318) Plate 7. Plan of Fort Walney c.1941 (National Archives WO 192318) showing detailed plan of searchlight emplacements in top left corner Plate 8. 1940’s MOD aerial image showing the RAF Barrow airfield (49) and associated features. © Barrow Borough Council 2011 Plate 9. 2003 Google Earth image showing the former RAF Barrow airfield (49) and associated features. (© Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Ltd.) Plate 10. 1940 MOD aerial photograph (© Barrow Borough Council 2011) and 2003 Google Earth Image (© Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Ltd.) showing sites associated with RAF Barrow (29, 36 and 49). Plate 11. 1940’s MOD aerial photograph showing the southern section of RAF Barrow, including Battle Headquarters, ancillary buildings the shooting ranges. The southern section of the image also includes site 26‐ anti aircraft battery/military camp and site 11 military camp Plate 12. 2003 Google Earth image showing the area containing the former southern section of RAF Barrow 47 and 49). The southern section of the image also includes site 26‐ anti aircraft battery/military camp and site 11‐military camp Plate 13. 1940’s MOD aerial image of the south‐eastern extent of RAF Barrow showing the two rifle ranges (45). Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky The Military Archaeological Remains of Walney Island Desk-Based Assessment Plate 14. 1940’s MOD aerial image of the south‐eastern extent of RAF Barrow showing the two rifle ranges (45). Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Plate 15. 1940’s MOD aerial image of the area containing Fort Walney (31, 90 and 101). Barrow Borough Council 2011 Plate 16. Google Earth Image of the Furness Golf Course and the surrounding area which formerly contained Fort Walney (31, 90 and 101) Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Plate 17. Aerial Image of Fort Walney from Fort Record Book No. 360. National Archive Ref. No. WO 192/318 Plate 18. 1940’s MOD aerial image of south Walney showing the coastal batteries (27, 30, 129 and 138) including barbed wire enclosures Barrow Borough Council 2011 Plate 19. Google Earth Image of south Walney showing the remains of the coastal batteries (and expansion of the gravel pit () Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Plate 20. 1940’s MOD aerial image of south Walney showing the H5 Anti‐Aircraft Battery (30) and associated military camp (129) Barrow Borough Council 2011 Plate 21. Google Earth image of south Walney showing the H5 Anti‐Aircraft Battery (30) and associated military camp (129) Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Plate 22. Aerial Image submitted via Sarah Dalrymple (CWT South Walney Warden) from a photographic scrapbook of a former Walney resident. It is labelled ‘Lighthouse and Battery. The features to the right of the image are the gun placements and artillery stores that are sill extant. Plate 23. Goggle map image of the same area as shown in Plate *. Infoterra Ltd and Bluesky Plate 24. Aerial Image submitted via Sarah Dalrymple (CWT South Walney Warden) from a photographic scrapbook of a former Walney resident. It is labelled ‘Walney Dummy Camp’. Location currently unknown Plate 25. Excerpt from scrapbook of a former Walney resident submitted via Sarah Dalrymple (CWT South Walney Warden) It is labelled ‘Heavy Gun Battery Walney’ and appears to show views of the Hilpsford Battery from the Lighthouse as well as the serving military. Plate 26. Excerpt from scrapbook of a former Walney resident submitted via Sarah Dalrymple (CWT South Walney Warden). It is labelled ‘Walney 1943’ and shoes images of the serving military. Plate 27. Excerpt from scrapbook of a former Walney resident submitted via Sarah Dalrymple (CWT South Walney Warden). It is labelled ‘Battery Personnel’ and shows images of the serving military The Military Archaeological Remains of Walney Island Desk-Based Assessment Plate 28. Excerpt from scrapbook of a former Walney resident submitted via Sarah Dalrymple (CWT South Walney Warden). It is labelled ‘The Lighthouse 1943’and show the camouflaged lighthouse and images of the battery Plate 29. Dr Richard Newman looking at documents with volunteers as part of the training sessions in Barrow during January 2017 Plate 30. Documentary Research Trainee Volunteers undertaking the site visit to South Walney Plate 31. The remains of a gun emplacement noted during the site visit on the beach to the north‐eastern side of the island Plate 32. Aerial view of the rifle range, the ‘stop butt’ is to the top of the image (not the horseshoe depression) with the ‘shooters gallery’ the bottom. © Oxford Archaeology North Plate 33. Southern revetment forming the rifle range (29) showing graffiti and current condition of this element of the site Plate 34. Remains of the concrete structures representing the remains of the former gunners training range (36) Plate 35. Concrete remains of the Gunner