New Pictures of Blyth's World War 1 and World War II land defences.
Available to view in:~
Picture Album:~Pictures of Blyth:~Blyth Battery

Blyth Battery is a coastal defence (not anti-aircraft) artillery battery, built in 1916 to defend the port of Blyth and the submarine base there during World War I, and upgraded for re-use during World War II.  It is the most intact, accessible and intelligible coast defence battery on the north east and Yorkshire coast, with individual buildings and features of considerable rarity.  It comprises two building groups – a twin coast defence gun emplacement and a twin searchlight emplacement, each with associated buildings, mostly in concrete with some brick. Each building group was in a compound surrounded by a fence, and the entire Battery was served by temporary hutment camps for off-duty personnel on adjoining land. Some buildings are partially sunken or built into dunes to conceal or protect them, and some were partially concealed with false roofs and structures.

It was handed over to the local authority in 1925 and, although recommissioned for World War II, has since been absorbed into the wider recreational use of the Links, a  2-mile stretch of formal and informal open space south of Blyth town centre, comprising a long concave beach, dunes, mown grass and car-parks. All the Battery’s main buildings survive, most being vacant though some are in leisure-related use. Virtually all signs of the compounds, temporary hutment camps and false concealment structures are gone. The Battery’s buildings are scheduled and listed Grade II. The site is also within a local nature reserve.

North of England Civic Trust was commissioned in 2004 to prepare a Conservation Plan for the Battery, and is working in partnership with Blyth Valley Borough Council (BVBC) to deliver its ambitions for the site.  Following years of consultation and hard work, BVBC has secured funding of over £1/2 million to repair the historic fabric, create usable visitor space, provide interpretation and to employ a part-time heritage officer over 3 years to promote usage of the site, particularly with schools.