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Mey Battery is a coastal artillery fortification situated 80 metres north-east of Braes of Harrow in Caithness, northern Scotland. Built to defend Scotland's north coast during a period of military tension, the battery represents the strategic importance of this exposed stretch of coastline. The site sits upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a durable foundation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone laid down during the Middle Devonian period, which has weathered centuries of Atlantic exposure.
The battery exemplifies the type of small-scale coastal defence constructed at vulnerable points along the Scottish littoral. Its position near Braes of Harrow, overlooking the Pentland Firth, reflects the military concern with protecting maritime approaches and preventing hostile landings. The choice of location took advantage of both the natural topography and the solid geological base provided by the ancient Old Red Sandstone bedrock.
The site is now protected as a scheduled monument under the Historic Environment Scotland register (reference SM13649), recognising its significance as evidence of Scotland's coastal military heritage. The battery survives as a tangible record of defensive planning and engineering on one of Britain's most northerly and strategically sensitive coastlines.
Mey Battery, battery 80m NE of Braes of Harrow is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13649. View the official record →
Mey Battery is a coastal artillery fortification situated 80 metres north-east of Braes of Harrow in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13649.
Mey Battery, battery 80m NE of Braes of Harrow is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM13649.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St John's Point,fort & site of St John's Chapel (2.7 km), Scarfskerry,Kirk o'Banks (3.2 km), Ham,chambered cairn 180m NW of,Brough (4.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mey Battery, battery 80m NE of Braes of Harrow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Mey Battery, battery 80m NE of Braes of Harrow stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.