Plymouth heritage battery restoration contractors named

By demoduck.co.uk news desk

Contractors have been appointed to restore the historic Garden Battery at Mount Edgcumbe, moving the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park heritage project into its delivery phase.

The restoration, announced on 1 June 2026, is part of the Heritage Horizon programme supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Plymouth City Council. The work is intended to conserve the granite battery and open the site to public use for the first time in its history.

Garden Battery restoration team

PLACE Architects will lead the design work, with Chadburn Conservation Architects supporting the conservation approach. Insite Projects will oversee project management, while TEC Construction (Holdings) Ltd has been named as the main contractor for the restoration works.

The project is being delivered with the Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee, made up of Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council, with consultation involving the Friends of Mount Edgecumbe.

A coastal defence site from 1862

The Garden Battery dates back to 1862, after recommendations made by the Royal Commission in 1860. Built on the site of an earlier saluting battery, it originally housed ten guns to defend the mouth of the Hamoaze and surrounding channel.

By 1910, two searchlights had been installed in former gun casements. The site later became associated with early Defensive Electric Lights before the First World War and played a role in port defence during both world wars.

Public access and future use

The restored Garden Battery is expected to include heritage interpretation, community use and private hire. Mount Edgcumbe Park already offers free access to historic formal gardens, parkland and coastal areas, and the battery project adds a new visitor focus on the waterfront side of the estate.

Councillor Tom Briars-Delve said the scheme would preserve the building while creating opportunities for learning and sustainable commercial use. Cornwall Councillor Jim Candy said opening the space would make the area more accessible to visitors from both Cornwall and Devon.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund said the project forms part of a wider aim to change how people experience heritage across Plymouth Sound National Marine Park.

Source: Plymouth City Council

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Source check Source trail

This report is based on the published Plymouth City Council notice and checked against the named project, funding and contractor details in that source.

Checks

• Confirmed the announcement date as 1 June 2026.
• Checked the named contractors and their stated roles in the restoration.
• Matched the project to Plymouth Sound National Marine Park and the Heritage Horizon progra...
• Kept historical dates and funding figures to those stated in the source material.

Plymouth City Council Check wider context

Source

Plymouth City Council

Scope

Plymouth Sound and Mount Edgcumbe

Updated

2026-06-03 22:26

Report

Article contextPeople & topics3#6

Tom Briars-DelveJim CandyStuart McLeod

#Coastal heritage restoration#Garden Battery#Mount Edgcumbe#National Lottery Heritage Fund#Plymouth Sound National Marine Park#Rame Peninsula

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