Grey Point Fort, Co. Down
[** If you
like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the
secure button at the right. If you think it is interesting or useful, please
re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. To help keep the site in
operation, please use the Amazon search portal at the right - each purchase
earns a small amount of advertising revenue **]
Near the end of the summer (2014) the Chapple
Family decided to spend an afternoon at Grey Point Fort, Co. Down. I’d heard of
the place, but didn’t really know what to expect. Even though it’s less than 10
miles from my house, I’d no idea how to get there. That, coupled with my over
reliance on my GPS, meant that several wrong
turns were taken and that we arrived with me loudly vowing never to undertake any
journey without looking at a real
map first! … we’ll see how long that lasts!
Historically, the entrance to Belfast Lough was
defended by Carrickfergus
Castle on the west side of the Lough. However, by the early 20th century,
this was no longer considered to be sufficient and plans were put in place to build
new coastal defences at Grey Point and Kilroot. Construction of a battery on
this site began in 1904 and was completed in 1907. The purpose of the site was
to defend Belfast Lough from seaborne attack. From its completion up until 1937,
the fort was operated by the Antrim
Royal Garrison Artillery Special Reserve, and thereafter by 188 Antrim Coastal
Battery. During the inter-war years the site held two searchlight emplacements.
During its operational life, the fort was armed with two Mark VII six-inch bore
guns, built by Vickers, Sons
& Maxim. These guns were capable of hurling forged or cast iron shells,
weighing up to 100lbs, for distances of up to six miles. For all their
defensive capability, the original guns were only once fired in anger. The NIEA’s
guide book Grey
Point Fort: A short guide to the fort complex briefly relates the tale of
how, two days after beginning of WWII, the E Hayward out of
Liverpool entered Belfast lough. She failed to answer an order to identify from
the fort, and a ‘plugged round’ was then fired across her bow which,
presumably, sufficiently grabbed her captain’s attention. Unfortunately, when
the attack on Belfast
did come – in April and May 1941 – it was from the air, and these coastal installations
were largely ineffectual.
In the post-war years, the defences at both Grey
Point and Kilroot were manned by the Territorial Army until the disbandment of
the coastal artillery forces in 1956. The Grey Point site passed to the Department of the Environment in 1971 and,
following restoration, was opened to the public in 1987. Although the majority
of the buildings at the site survived in relatively robust condition, the
original guns had been removed at the time of the site’s decommissioning. In the
years since, efforts have been successful in sourcing replacement ordnance of
the same type originally installed at the fort. In 1993 a gun, originally from Spike Island, Co. Cork, was installed
here, and was eventually followed by a second gun in 1999. Within the fort
today there are extensive collections of military radio equipment, and various
forms of memorabilia.
Although the guns are the focus of the site, they
are not its entirety. Within the site boundaries there is a gun store, the
magazine, the battery observation post, the fire command post, and the radar
platform. Outside the fort, on the landward side there are the original engine
rooms and military quarters (now a private residence), while closer to the
rocky shore are three searchlight emplacement buildings. The NIEA publication Grey Point Fort: A
short guide to the fort complex gives brief synopses of each building and I’m
not going to attempt to better them! I will just add that the Grey Point Fort
Amateur Radio Society [Facebook
| Website] are based
in the old battery observation post building. I had a lovely chat with one of
the very knowledgeable and enthusiastic Radio Society volunteers, who was keen
to tell me everything about the group and their activities. He was even able to
overcome my crippling lack of technical knowledge to communicate his passion
for Amateur Radio – he almost had me primed to sign up!
On the day we were there the site was alive with
volunteers, visitors, and historical reenactors. The latter were represented by
three men kitted out and armed as British, German, and Russian forces as they
would have appeared at the outset of World War I. The Chapples Minor eventually
tired of looking at the displays, playing games in the big tent, and generally running
about the site with abandon. We decided to stretch our legs, and take a walk
down to the shoreline. Unfortunately, we ignored the gathering clouds and
pressed on. By the time we noticed the moving wall of darkness and rain it was
too late. We were drenched in seconds, so there was no point even running for
it. With an air of stoicism, sufficient to impress Zeno of Citium, we
proceeded down to the water’s edge to collect seashells and find suitable
stones for skimming. By the time we made it back to the car we were cold, wet,
and generally exhausted. Vagaries of the weather aside, we had a great time –
entertaining and educational – and hope to be back again soon!
 |
| The Russians are here! |
 |
| As are the Germans & the British! |
 |
| Field gun on display |
 |
| Activity tent – lots of stuff to keep children amused and entertained. Don’t tell them, but it’s even educational! |
 |
| Chapples Minor get introduced to Kim’s Game |
 |
| Chapple Minor attempts to seize control of some weaponry |
 |
| Overview of the site |
 |
| Stealth! |
 |
| The battery observation post, now the home of the GPFARS |
 |
| Discussion on German and British weaponry at the outbreak of WWI |
 |
| ‘I like my gun better’ |
 |
| Military humour … it doesn’t appear to change! |
 |
| One of the displays in the fire command post |
 |
| Part of the radio equipment collection |
 |
| More equipment |
 |
| I’ve no idea what this stuff does, but it looks amazing! |
 |
| Even more equipment! |
 |
| View along the top of the magazine between the two gun emplacements |
 |
| This & following: views of the guns |
Grey Point Fort is now among the best preserved 20th
century military costal defences in these islands, and is unique in Northern
Ireland – come and have a look for yourself!
Notes:
As I mention above, on our trip in August we didn’t
have the opportunity to visit all of the buildings. Of the various displays, I only
managed to take a look at the radio equipment collection in the fire command
post. Although my understanding of this form of technical equipment is at the
level of ‘it’s
a box that goes ding’, I found it absolutely fascinating. I missed out
completely on the other collections, but it’s all the more reason to go back
and explore further!
On the 4th of August 2014 – a century after the British
declaration of war on Germany – a single round was fired from one of the Grey
Point Fort’s guns. Video: here. On November 11th 2014 the gun was fired gain to mark
Since our visit, I see that the NIEA have launched
Phase 2 of the Defence
Heritage Project 2014-18. Initial work at Grey Point Fort includes a campaign
of Ground Penetrating Radar and targeted excavation (here). As well
as any fort-related discoveries, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s
Facebook page reports (here)
that they found struck flint on the site, testifying to activity on this
site in the prehistoric period. This should fit well with the Mesolithic flint previously
reported from Grey Point (here).
An earlier version of this post claimed that the Kilroot Battery was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the Kilroot Power Station. I'm not sure where I picked up that particular item, but I have recently been informed that I am incorrect on this point. Instead, I'm informed that "Kilroot fort is still in good condition, all the building are still there, Irish Salt Mines bought it in 1960 and built pre-fabricated buildings on top of the original building, the only things missing are the guns". I am delighted to be corrected on this point and to emend the record accordingly.
Resources:
Virtual Reality tour
of Grey Point Fort (very much recommended)
Pillbox
Study Group blog
NI
Sites & Monuments website
Comments
Post a Comment