Brean is a picturesque location thats perfect for filming and the weather has been very kind to us as well. Access to the down is by climbing the long flight of steps and turning left towards the fort. Baen publisher toni weisskopf on reading and the current great hunkering down happening at the moment. Its also a lovely 3 mile round walk with beach views and seaside fun. See why it was listed, view it on a map, see visitor comments and photos and share your own comments and photos of. It is a beautiful place devoid of cars and abundant in wildlife.
All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. It is a site of special scientific interest due to both the geology and presence of nationally rare plants including the white rockrose. Heritage list entry summary for multiperiod site on brean down. The remains of brean down fort sit on a rocky outcrop on the. Brean down fort was built in the 1860s as part of the bristol channel defences. You also get the opportunity to see a natural pier. Brean down wasnt somewhere i walked as a child but the nearest significant town, westonsupermare, certainly was somewhere wed visit, staring at the seafront through rainsoaked car windows as we stoically munched thinlysliced, beef paste sandwiches. Brean down fort is located at the furthest point of brean down, just south of westernsupermare in somerset. Down here are large stone fortifications, barracks, officers quarters and armoury, all ruinous and longabandoned, their walls covered in graffiti. This year it was just me, but no matter as i arrived at half nine to find the headland enveloped in low cloud and mist. Brean down is a promontory off the coast of somerset, england, standing 318 feet 97 m high. Brean down is the home of a fort set to protect the bristol channel from invading forces.
Brean down is a wonderful location for a day out in somerset. Climb up the 225 steps to access the full and blustery brean down walk with fabulous views of the beaches of westonsupermare on one side, and brean on the other. The somerset village of brean is famous for brean down a natural pier atop cliffs. Books and journals aston, m, history and importance of the fort, 1976 bell, m, brean down. Keep going to the far end to find the fort great for hide and seek or imaginative kids games. A walk on brean down will take you on a journey from neolithic man to the peninsulas vital role defending the south west during the second world war. Jan 26, 2018 7 of the most stunning views in somerset. Jan 01, 2020 brean down fort pretty much every new years day for the last couple of decades weve gone to brean down near westonsupermare to blow away the cobwebs of the night before.
Francis frith the uks leading publisher of local photographs since 1860. Multiperiod site on brean down, brean 1008211 historic. She also discusses baen books response with a new baen virtual roadshow, and other initiatives. Cornwell is at the top of the heap as a writer of historical fiction, beyond doubt.
Jul 06, 2019 brean down fort, in somerset, dates back to 10,000 bc. Although the fort of today is victorian, the site has much earlier roots the site has a long history, because of its prominent position. Brean down fort formed part of a strategic coastal defence system covering the channel between the mainland and the islands of steep holm and flat holm. In particular brean down fort at the tip of the peninsular. The area is 1193 acres of land and 2277 of foreshore and water. Brean down fort was home to three 7 inch rifled muzzle loading guns. Multiperiod site on brean down is a scheduled monument in brean, somerset, england. Ynys rhonech is an english island lying in the bristol channel. Brean down photos, maps, books, memories francis frith. See why it was listed, view it on a map, see visitor comments and photos and share your own comments and photos of this building. Barrett 1882 7 x 7inch rml 3 on c racers 4 on a racers 1901 disarmed wwii 2 x 6inch bl exnaval brean down fort battery is situated 60 feet above sea level on the headland 9 miles nw of westonsupermare. Brean has provided the perfect setting for the sequences in one of our episodes where the archaeology team search a cave, a spokeswoman told on the set besides brean down fort.
A history of maritime forts in the bristol channel 18661900. Brean downs fort was built to defend the country against a possible napoleonic invasion. Sep 26, 2018 the views from the down are wonderful and at the end is the ruin of a victorian fort. Brean down juts out into the bristol channel and has witnessed human history since the stone age. The earliest signs of life on brean down date back to 10,000 bc. Multiperiod site on brean down, brean 1008211 historic england. However, much of this i gleaned from a most informative book called brean down fort its history and the defence of the bristol channel by.
The fort is now a ruin, but you can still wander around the buildings and imagine what life must have been like living and working on the down. Brean down is now owned by the national trust, and is rich in wildlife, history and archaeology. Its on brean down and i managed to walk to the fort a few years ago bottles of water required. Along with flat holm and steep holm islands and batteries on the wales side, a direct line of defences was formed to protect the docks.
Brean down is now owned by the national trust, and is rich in wildlife, history and. Brean down fort was built 60 feet 18 m above sea level on the headland at brean down, 9 miles 14 km south of westonsupermare, somerset, england. The earliest recorded settlement is from the early to middle bronze age. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Along the way youll also spot roman ruins and palmerston fort. The site has a long history, because of its prominent position. On a clear day and after a steep climb, it is possible to see the black mountains in wales, the north devon coast, the somerset levels and the urban sprawl of weston super mare. Walking to the end of the down is my favourite part of the walk where the victorian fort slips into view, and descends towards a very lively sea. Brean down fort, in somerset, dates back to 10,000 bc. The fort was the scene of a explosion on 4 july 1900 when gunner haines took his own life as he fired a carbine loaded with ball cartridge down the shaft of the ventilator whilst in a state of temporary insanity.
The brean down way opened in july 2017 after a lot of hard work. Weisskopf also talks about being art director at baen, and some of the decisions that go into creating the covers. Brean down s fort was built to defend the country against a possible napoleonic invasion. Evidence of extinct creatures such as mammoths and woolly rhinos has been uncovered here. The climb up the hill is the worst bit, not sure if i could do it now. Brean down inn warren rd, ta8 2rr brean, somerset, united kingdom rated 4.
Not only do you have the option of visiting a fort at brean down. At its highest point it is 78 metres 256 ft above mean sea level. A natural pier with dramatic cliffs and victorian fort. Brean down 2020 all you need to know before you go with. It lies within the historic boundaries of somerset and administratively, it forms part of north. The island is formed of carboniferous limestone and is often described as geologically a continuation of the mendip hills at brean down.
It maybe worth a visit if your fit and can climb up over 100 steep steps. This page was last edited on 12 january 2019, at 17. Access the water by following the small paths which lead down on the north weston side. Much of what he writes is based on historical incidents for which very few records remain e. It offers commanding views of the somerset coast and levels, as well as the islands of steep holm and flat holm and the coast of south wales. Four acres of land at the end of brean down were requisitioned in 1862, 5 with construction beginning in 1864 and completed in 1871. The current buildings were constructed in the 1860s as one of the palmerston forts to provide protection to. The headland is nine miles south of westonsupermare. Down, and are a popular destination for walkers, tourists and history buffs. Brean down fort is a great location and, the fort aside, brought back memories of family holidays. Apr 05, 2020 at the end of brean down and at the bottom of a steep slope is a large fort built in the 1860s to offer protection to the ports of the bristol channel. It left a lasting impression on me, and one so rarely comes across such books in ones lifetime more than a couple of times if youre lucky.
I couldnt wait to begin investigating at the fort and, apart from nearly having an asthma attack on the climb up to it, was looking forward to combining my interest in both the paranormal and war history. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. At the seaward end is brean down fort which was built in 1865 and then rearmed in the second world war. Mar 14, 2014 brean down is at the very end of the coast road. Brean, a parish in somersetshire, on the river axe and on the coast, 4 miles from burnham station on the somerset and dorset joint railway, 4 from brent knoll station on the g.
Brean down has a history from the iron age, through the romans to world war ii. On steep holm the dip is about 30 degrees to the north whereas at brean down it is 30 degrees to the south. Plenty of parking is available during daytime but both car parks are locked at night. The stunning but littleknown ruins hidden away near bristol. Brean down fort military wiki fandom powered by wikia. Parking is at the national trust car park free for members or at the cafe. Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of brean down. Brean down fort was built 60 feet 18 m above sea level on the headland at brean down, 9 miles 14 km south of westonsupermare, somerset, england the site has a long history, because of its prominent position. Brean down fort stands in ruin on the headland at brean down in somerset, overlooking the severn estuary, which it was built to guard, 60 feet above the sea.
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