Celebration as wartime relics are reopened at Blyth Battery
May 14 2010 by Dave Black, The Journal
CELEBRATIONS were held last night at a unique collection of wartime relics which have been transformed into a new visitor attraction and educational resource for the region.
A dedication ceremony took place at the Blyth Battery on the Northumberland coastline, to mark the recent completion of a £525,000 restoration scheme for the buildings.
Volunteers who now run the complex – which was built in 1916 and protected the port of Blyth and its submarine base from enemy attack during two wars – dressed up in Home Guard uniforms to welcome guests to last night’s event.
Those present included representatives from organisations which provided funding for the project, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, North of England Civic Trust and the former Blyth Valley Council.
The battery, which is considered one of the most complete examples of a coastal defence installation in eastern Britain, was built during World War One and later upgraded for the 1939-45 conflict. It includes a searchlight tower, gun emplacements, a magazine block, observation posts, a rangefinder tower and an engine house. It was left derelict and decaying for many years before its restoration.
Now the Blyth Battery Volunteers, a local group given the task of running the facility, open it three days a week to visitors and provide guided tours.
The buildings have been described as the most intact and accessible anti-invasion gun battery on the coastline, and the restoration scheme has created an exhibition space, education room and cafe.
