Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
St Ishmael's Scar Beach Defence Gun House
St. Ishmael, Carmarthenshire, Wales
A scheduled monument in St. Ishmael, Carmarthenshire, recorded as Gun House (Post Medieval/Modern).
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Gun House
- Period
- Post Medieval/Modern
- Date of designation
- 5 November 2009
- Community
- St. Ishmael
- Unitary authority
- Carmarthenshire
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.74858, -4.37424
- SAM number
- CM383
- Cadw record number
- 947
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesUniversity Library, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1608 map "(13) Cambriae Typus." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1608 · (13) Cambriae Typus. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Sheet 10. Ordnance Survey of England and Wales. . (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1898 · 229 Carmarthen (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1920 · Sheet 100. Llanelly. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- Sheet 7 South Wales (University Library, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Cadw's description
Summary description and reason for designation
The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.
The monument comprises the remains of a beach defence gun house, dating to the early period of the Second World War (AD 1940-41). The defensive artillery battery was constructed at short notice to defend the strategically important Towy estuary. It is located on the east bank of the River Towy and surmounts the sea wall overlooking St Ishmael's Scar to the west. From this position, the gun could command the estuary and be used to defend against enemy landings on the gently shelving beach. The gun house was built from reinforced concrete and was designed to mount one 4-inch gun, together with loopholes for light machine guns on the south and east sides. There is an unusual ammunition magazine incorporated into the S wall. The gun house is rectangular in shape on plan and partly buried into the ground. It measures a maximum of 2.6m in height externally, 10.27m in length north to south and 7.3m in width. The roof comprises a massive reinforced concrete slab that measures 0.3m in thickness. The walls measure 1.07m in thickness. A protected entrance is located at the east end of the north wall and provided access on to the open-faced gun deck.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Second World War anti-invasion practices. This well preserved structure was originally one of a number of positions defending the south Wales coast and is an important relic of actions taken against the perceived threat of a German invasion from Ireland. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.
The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around within which related evidence may be expected to survive. The scheduled area is rectangular in shape on plan and measures 20m in length (north to south) by 15m transversely.
Nearby in the register
- Church of St IshmaelReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Robert's RestDomestic1 mi
- Castell LlansteffanCastle1 mi
- Llansteffan CastleDefence1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.