Details

The monument includes a small defensive platform on the side of the cliff to
the north west of Gannets' Rock.
The platform is situated 20m above the sea on the side of the cliff and is not
easily accessible. It has the form of a natural rock shelf about 6m square
revetted on the seaward side by a drystone wall of which only the footings
survive.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Lundy is a small, steep sided island in the Bristol Channel, 16m north of
Hartland Point, north Devon. Aligned north-south, it is 6km long by 1km wide
and supports a predominately moorland vegetation. The 100m high cliffs and
tabular form give it a striking appearance, visible in clear weather from
parts of south west England and south Wales.
Lundy's remoteness and (until the 19th century construction of the Beach Road)
its inaccessibility, combined with a lack of shelter and cultivable soils, has
meant that it has escaped more recent occupation or development. It therefore
preserves a remarkable variety of archaeological sites from early prehistory
(c.8000 BC) onwards, representing evidence for habitation, fortification,
farming and industry. There are also archaeological remains in the waters
surrounding the island - over 150 shipwrecks are already recorded. Most of the
island's archaeology is well documented from detailed survey in the 1980s and
1990s.

Around Lundy's coast, and situated both in cliff top and shoreline positions,
is a series of structures designed to defend the island. These varied in form
and scale from the stronghold now known as Marisco Castle, to the smaller and
more ephemeral gun platforms built to support musketeers. That these positions
were principally for the purpose of preventing a landing is supported by their
location above and around the more vulnerable bays and beaches, such as the
Landing Bay and Jenny's Cove. Although the precise dating and function is
unclear, it is likely that some will date to the time of the Civil War, while
others may relate to coastal piracy which was prevalent in the Bristol Channel
between the 15th and 18th centuries.
The battery platform north west of Gannets' Rock is well preserved despite
some natural erosion. It is one of a number of such gunnery points around the
coast of the island.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Thackray, C, The National Trust Archaeological Survey, (1989)

Source: Historic England