Survey Data
Reg No
15003134
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Historical, Technical
Original Use
Battery
In Use As
Battery
Date
1784 - 1804
Coordinates
203137, 242121
Date Recorded
08/09/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding battery built by the British Army, c.1795, consisting of a ditch and two ramps forming two concentric rings. Constructed of earth and stone. Now derelict and overgrown and no trace of any buildings remain above ground. Located to the northern end of the town on the Connaught side of the River Shannon.
Appraisal
This overgrown site originally formed part of an extensive complex of batteries built by the British Army to defend against possible French attack during the Napoleonic Wars, illustrating the strategic importance of Athlone in national defence. The battery is orientated in such a way as to allow artillery cover in the event of an attack from the west (Connaught).