The Needles Old Battery and New Battery
A Victorian coastal fort on the Isle of Wight with tunnels and guns, plus an underground display on secret British rocket tests.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Needles Old Battery was built between 1861 and 1863 on an exposed headland above the Needles rocks, as part of the chain of defences ordered by Lord Palmerston to protect the naval dockyard at Portsmouth from a feared French attack. The attack never came, and such works became known as Palmerston's Follies. In 1873 the first guns were replaced with six large Armstrong guns that fired from the muzzle, and the guns were declared useless in 1903 and pushed over the cliff. Two of them were hauled back up from the sea in the 1980s and now stand on the parade ground.
A tunnel dug through the chalk leads from the parade ground to a searchlight position, and a lift shaft once gave access to emplacements at sea level. Erosion of the cliffs and new technology led to the building of the New Battery further up the headland between 1893 and 1895. Both batteries were used in the two World Wars.
From 1955 the New Battery was leased to the company Saunders-Roe, which secretly tested the Black Knight and Black Arrow rockets and the Prospero satellite here before they were launched in Australia. Two underground rooms of the New Battery now tell this story, with models of the rockets and recreated test rooms. The site belongs to the National Trust and has a tea-room in the former Port War Signal Station.
Highlights
- Victorian Old Battery with parade ground guns
- Underground tunnel to the searchlight position
- Views of the Needles rocks and lighthouse
- New Battery rooms on the secret Black Knight and Black Arrow rocket tests
- Tea-room in the former Port War Signal Station
Permanent exhibitions
- Needles Old Battery – Victorian fort with the parade ground guns, underground tunnel to the searchlight position and rooms about the Victorian gunners and Second World War soldiers.
- Needles New Battery and rocket test site – Two underground rooms with models of the Black Knight and Black Arrow rockets and the Prospero satellite, telling the story of the secret tests of the 1950s to 1970s.
- Founded
- 1861
- Operated by
- National Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £9.40 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | £4.75free up to age 4 · Child ticket for ages 5 to 17; children under 5 are free. |
| Groups | £9.03 per personAdult group price; the child group price is £4.51. |
| Families | £23.75For 2 adults and up to 3 children. |
| Family ticket for 1 adult and up to 3 children | £14.25 |
The prices are for the Old Battery without the optional Gift Aid donation; with Gift Aid the adult ticket is £10.50, the child ticket £5.30 and the family ticket £26.20. Entry to the New Battery is free, and entry to the Old Battery is free for National Trust members.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
There are some steep slopes and uneven surfaces inside the Old Battery, but they can be avoided. An adapted toilet is at the Old Battery. A small parking area close to the entrance gate is kept for limited accessible parking; visitors should contact the property on arrival at Alum Bay car park. The path to visitor reception is a short, well-surfaced downhill slope. An induction loop and seating around the site are available, and an AccessAble guide is linked from the property page. Dogs on leads are welcome.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | £23.75 · For 2 adults and up to 3 children. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Baby changing facilities
Children can look for "Gunner John", a figure hidden in six places around the Old Battery, and the site runs seasonal events such as a bat trail. Stories of the soldiers are told through hands-on objects and illustrated panels. Baby-changing facilities are in the accessible toilet. There is a family ticket.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Alum Bay · 20-min walk
Island buses run from Newport to Alum Bay, followed by a three-quarter-mile walk. The Needles Breezer bus runs from Yarmouth and Alum Bay every 30 minutes from March to October. The ferry crossings reach Yarmouth (5 miles), East Cowes (16 miles) and Ryde (22 miles).
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
There is no vehicle access and no on-site parking. The nearest car parks are at the Needles Landmark Attraction in Alum Bay (not National Trust, with a discount for members), a 15-minute uphill walk on a tarmac road, and at Freshwater Bay (Isle of Wight Council), 3 miles away. Highdown car park is a 45-minute walk across the downs.
- Accessible parking
The site is west of Freshwater Bay on the B3322, and the walk from Alum Bay is three-quarters of a mile on a well-surfaced path. National Cycle Network route 67 passes within half a mile.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant: not available
The tea-room in the former Port War Signal Station serves hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, light bites and cakes. Toilets are at the Old Battery, and dog bowls are outside the tea-room.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours of the Old Battery and the New Battery are listed among the National Trust events. A map of the Old Battery can be downloaded as a PDF. Further information on areas of the Old Battery that are not open is available at visitor reception. |
