It was one of a number of Plymouth fortifications to be recommended by the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom in 1859.

[2][3] The battery was designed with a five-sided earthwork rampart containing a number of gun emplacements, with a ditch spanning the front.

The west side of the battery is protected by a gorge wall with loopholes.

[4] In 1875, eight RML 64-pounder 64 cwt guns were assigned to the battery, but stored at Staddon Fort.

[4] The site is now overgrown and is used for agricultural purposes, but much of the battery remains intact and is protected as a scheduled monument.