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These strange set of steps
on the Western side of Penlee point have confused many visitors. Their
purpose is not obvious, apart from a link with the small harbour they overlook.
The steps are part of Penlee
battery which is sited higher up the hill and formed part of a large
military project of the Victorian period to build a large
13.5" gun.
To bring the 69 ton gun
barrel to Penlee battery these massive concrete steps had to be constructed.
Sheerlegs could then be used to lift the gun in stages above the
water line from where it had been delivered by barge. In 1892 the barrel
was landed and after laying on the steps for a year it was hauled up to
the battery by forty carthorses and over 200 men. before its transfer up
the hill. It took a week to haul the barrel from the steps to the battery
and it was finally for mounted in 1894. |
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TeamManley