Buildings

The built heritage of Maker Heights

On visiting Maker Heights on the Rame Peninsula you will see what was a nationally important part of the defences of the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. 

The story starts in 1690 when the Admiralty awarded a contract to construct a stone dock on the eastern side of the River Tamar. At the time Plymouth was considered an increasingly important location for the Royal Navy as it was closest to the main French Atlantic naval base at Brest. Portsmouth was of course further up the Channel.

Read the full Introduction

Exterior of a stone building with metal railings, stairs, a purple door, and a window.

Introduction and context

Old stone wall with a wooden door and grass covering on top

Introduction to the Built Heritage of Maker Heights

Tracing the story from 1690, as Maker Heights emerges as a nationally important part of the defences of the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport.

Silhouettes of two ships in foggy water with distant hills and trees framing the scene.

The 1779 Franco- Spanish Armada

The main defences structures here at Maker Heights are, excluding the WW2 HAA battery and the 1960’s ROC bunker, the direct result of the 1779 Armada. 

The sites and buildings at Maker Heights

Abandoned concrete structure in foggy forest landscape with lush greenery and trees

Redoubt No. 1

This is the most northerly of the line of four Redoubts. It is located just inside the entrance to Maker Heights from the Cremyll Road.

Stone cottage in rural landscape with green fields, hills, and a distant sea view under a cloudy sky.

Redoubt No .2

Redoubt No 2 is immediately in front of the Barrack Block where now what is usually termed the ‘parade ground’ can be seen.

Scenic view of grassy hillside with a lone tree overlooking the sea and distant hills under a clear blue sky.

Redoubt No. 3

Redoubt No. 3, in common with all the others in the line of four, may have been originally dug as a temporary platform in 1779 when the threat of an invasion from the combined French and Spanish fleets was a real prospect. 

Old brick wall with wooden door and plants

Redoubt No . 4 / Grenville Battery

Redoubt No. 4 is the southern most of the line of 5 Redoubts built at Maker. Constructed in 1779 by soldiers of the North Gloucester Militia.

Overgrown abandoned bunker with twilight sky in the background.

Redoubt No. 5

Redoubt No. 5 is the northernmost of the five Redoubts built across Maker Heights in 1779. 

Old, weathered stone building with a pitched roof, multiple windows, and a large grassy area in the foreground under a clear blue sky.

Barrack Block

The block was built originally as a temporary building. The barracks and nearby hospital (originally near Redoubt No.4 but no longer in existence) were probably built between about 1784 and 1787. 

Countryside landscape with grassy field, overgrown vegetation, and cloudy sky.

Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery

It is well known that Plymouth, as a major naval base, became a prime target for the German Luftwaffe early in the Second World War.

Other sites under the care of the Rame Conservation Trust

Exterior of an old stone church building with gothic architectural features, including a sloped slate roof, arched windows with stone trim, and a metal cross atop the peak.

Millbrook Chapel of Rest

Millbrook’s Chapel of Rest, located in Millbrook’s burial ground at Millpoolhead has, since 2023, been under the guardianship of the Rame Conservation Trust (RCT).

Come and visit us soon!