The history of High Angle Battery
Located on the isle of Portland, High Angle Battery is a late Victorian gun battery built to help defend Portland Harbour against invasion.Constructed in the 1890s, its purpose was to fire shells at a high angle onto attacking ships below. The battery’s high position and network of below-ground buildings, tunnels and concealed gun emplacements made it almost invisible to enemy warships.
But, despite its formidable design, advancements in ship speed meant the site quickly became obsolete. The battery went out of use after only 10 years, never firing a single shot in combat.
The site is a Scheduled Monument and over time has fallen into disrepair, and in 2022 it was placed on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
Rediscovering High Angle Battery
We’ve now secured a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding from Portland Town Council, Castletown D-Day Centre and Fine Family Foundation to improve and preserve the heritage of this historically important site.Working closely with Portland Town Council, Island Community Action, heritage experts and the community, our Rediscovering High Angle Battery project aims to rejuvenate the site and help tell its story to a wider audience.
High Angle Battery film and gallery
Take a look at how the project has evolved in our video below. You can also see the story so far in pictures on our High Angle Battery GalleryProject timeline
January 2023 – consulting with the community
Key partners, the community and volunteers are asked to outline improvements they want to see made to the site.March 2023 – creating a plan
A plan to improve and preserve the heritage of High Angle Battery is created.June 2023 – applying for a grant
With the help of our partners, a bid is submitted to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a grant to help us deliver this project, with match funding from others.September 2023 – securing funding
Our application is approved, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards us £250,000.January 24 - heritage interpretation designers commissioned
Smith & Jones are commissioned to develop innovative interpretation that will tell the story of High Angle Battery.
March 2024 - collecting memories
At a drop-in event on Portland, past and present members of the community are invited to share photos, stories and memories about the site.March to December 2024 – interpretation design
The project’s interpreter, Smith and Jones Design Consultants Ltd, work with project partners to produce the scheme to tell the story of High Angle Battery,March 2024 – access works start
New paths are constructed around the site, improving access for visitors.Summer 2024 - EuCAN
Volunteers from the EuCAN group undertake a variety of works, including clearing scrub from historic features, wall repairs, removal of gates from the tunnel entrances and conversion of two small structures into bat roosts.February to April 2025 – heritage improvements continue
The site is given a thorough clean and much of the graffiti is removed. A professional construction company resurfaces the north tunnel to make it more accessible to visitors, undertakes various structural repairs and converts one of the storage buildings into a ‘bat hotel.’
April 2025
The new interpretation scheme is installed, together with a Victorian gun donated by Portland Port.26 April 2025
The formal opening of the site following the completion of all repair works.April to September 2025
A series of community events takes place, organised by local arts company b-side. These include art exhibitions and specialist site tours.
Their ‘State of Alarm’ sound installation is described as "A pulsing, gorgeous and threatening world woven out of sound sculptures and beautiful, rhythmic notes".
How to get involved
We are seeking help from the community to help us tell the story of High Angle Battery.If you have a photo, memory, or story of the battery you would like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Visit the project’s storyboard to find out more.
Share your memories
Share your photo, memory or story of High Angle Battery.