Building record MAB23661 - TORRY BATTERY

Remains of a coastal battery.

Remains of a coastal battery. Torry Point Battery was built in 1857-61 on the Girdleness headland in order to protect the port and harbour of Aberdeen from sea borne attack. It was built at the same time as another battery on the north side of the mouth of the river Dee (NJ90NE0231). It has been claimed that the battery was built as a result of a feared invasion by French troops after Napoleon III became Emperor of France. This is not the case: whilst Napoleon I had been a very real enemy to Britain it was not so clear cut with his nephew. Britain and France were allies in the Crimean War in the 1850s and remained allies fighting China in the 2nd China War. Moreover after he was deposed Napoleon III lived the remainder of his life in Britain, his son died fighting for the British Empire in the Zulu Wars. In reality the battery was built because the previous battery built to defend Aberdeen (in 1780, NJ90NE0257) had been allowed to fall into disrepair. For many years there had been a recognised need to build a new battery or batteries in Aberdeen. Negotiations for this between the Town Council and the Board of Ordnance were ongoing and intermittent between 1805 and 1860. The Crimean War provided a final 'shot in the arm' to these negotiations and broke the deadlock over the knotty issue of exactly who would pay what for the batteries. On completion the battery was armed with nine heavy guns - six 68 pounders and three 10-inch shell guns. Later in 1861 the heaviest armaments of the day, 200lb Armstrong guns, were delivered. Torry Battery was partially dismantled and decommissioned in the 1890s when the guns and mountings were returned to the ordnance stores in Leith. It was not until WWI that the Battery was again manned, the battery being reconstructed 1904-6. A battery of two 6-inch guns with a magazine below was built on a mound that covered the front wall of the original fort. Later the arc of fire for both guns was extended by demolishing parts of earlier gun platforms. Plans were made in 1913 for the infantry defence of the battery, including construction of a barbed wire entanglement and a pillbox (which was also used in World War II). During WWI troops trained here saw action throughout the theatres of war. Between the Wars the Battery was used as temporary housing, at a time of shortage in the housing stock. The Battery was again staffed on a permanent basis during WWII. During WWII the Battery was adapted for defence against airborne attack and a high battery control tower was built. Also during the war the Battery took at least one direct hit from a German bomber resulting in some fatalities in 1941, although its guns did engage a number of German bombers. In that year the Battery's 'heavies', or big guns, opened up for the only time in its history, on a friendly vessel. During the war the Battery was staffed by many different personnel, some Home Guard and many men from the City of Liverpool Battalion of the Royal Artillery. Interviews with some of these men have suggested that on the whole they had very fond memories of their time in Aberdeen and especially of the times when town's people brought free fish and chips to the Battery's gates for them. After WWII Torry Battery was again used as temporary housing for a number of families. During this period there was a great sense of community amongst the families who lived at the Battery. This was part of a wider 'squatter' movement. The pre-war housing shortages had been exacerbated during the war and many families (especially those of newly returned service men) began to squat in newly vacated army huts and camps. After the last family left in 1953 Torry Battery was partially demolished. The ruins became a playground for local children and resulted in a number of calls for its complete dismantling. During this period it became home to many different species of migratory birds. In recent years the Battery has been the focus of more attention and it was Scheduled in 2000. A standing building survey was carried out by Granite City Surveys in 2004, and subsequently excavation was carried out by Aberdeen City Council Archaeological Unit to assess the surviving remains (NJ90NE0256). This revealed, inter alia, a curious, late nineteenth century, system of heating the bedding store for Torry Battery by way of flues running from an open fire in an adjacent stone room. Torry Battery was Scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 2000. A watching brief was carried out by Cameron Archaeology in October 2018 during excavation of two test pits ahead of possible works. Test Pit 2 contained a section of the main curtain wall surrounding the battery. A further watching brief was carried out by Cameron Archaeology in December 2018 on trenches for foundations for a proposed viewing/interpretation platform. The remains of the curtain wall were uncovered in each trench with evidence of three gun slits. A watching brief was carried out by Cameron Archaeology in September 2021 of 14 trenches for foundations. drainage and access to the new structure. The curtain wall was uncovered and topsoil removed showing the level of natural sands under the Battery. A small number of finds were observed including pieces of corrugated and a fragment of ceramic toilet. A watching brief was carried out by Cameron Archaeology in January 2025 during excavation of seven test for various engineering works in connection with Phase 2 of the Greyhope Ltd development. The curtain wall was traced along the northeast section of the Battery showing that the wall remains are 0.62 m thick with gun-slits partially surviving as well as a five-sided turret. The well and a sump were also uncovered, inspected and recorded. Further monitoring is recommended for future development work.

Period Notes
Scheduled 07/11/2000. Constructed over the period 1857-16

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 08/02/82 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , SCOTTISH NOTES AND QUERIES, Vol IX, p.14 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1839.

CROLY, C, , THE ORIGINS OF TORRY POINT BATTERY, C.1470-1860 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6851.

ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 2004, EXCAVATIONS AT TORRY POINT BATTERY, ABERDEEN (Bibliographic reference). SAB5635.

HISTORIC SCOTLAND, 2008, TORRY BATTERY, ABERDEEN: ARCHITECT'S REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB5826.

ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 2016, PETERSEAT, TORRY BATTERY AND ST FITTICK'S CHURCH, ABERDEEN (Bibliographic reference). SAB6419.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2018, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK-BASED ASSESSMENT (Bibliographic reference). SAB7062.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2018, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (DSR) FOR TRENCHES 5.12.18, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB7127.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2018, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (DSR), DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB7126.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2018, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB7125.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2021, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT FOR TRENCHES 2018-21, WB report (Bibliographic reference). SAB8236.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2021, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION (WSI), WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB8237.

GRAY, R, 2022, TORRY POINT BATTERY, ABERDEEN, ENTRANCE ARCH AND DUN EMPLACEMENT NUMBER 1 CONSERVATION PLAN, Conservation Plan (Bibliographic reference). SAB4288.

CHOUMANN, D, 2024, PROPOSED CONSOLIDATION OF THE TORRY BATTERY, TORRY, ABERDEEN: PRELIMINARY CONDITION REPORT VERSION 002 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8881.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2025, TORRY BATTERY, GREYHOPE ROAD, ABERDEEN: REPORT ON WATCHING BRIEFS FOR TEST PITS, WB report (Bibliographic reference). SAB8880.

Mar 1 2011 , AAS/2011/2/DG3269, 3271-6, AAS/2011/2/DG3269, 3271-6 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB37249.

Record last edited

Sep 12 2025 11:59AM