The former coastal battery at La Possession was built on the barrier beach in the 1820s. An archaeological evaluation was made in 2012 as part of the “Nouvelle route du Littoral" project.
The history of a battery
Plans to build La Possession coastal battery or coastal battery no. 1 appear on maps dating from 1822. The defensive work was abandoned in the late 19th century and the site gradually fell into ruin. Recently altered by the construction of a waste-water conduit, the only known remains before the evaluation were two pebble embankments and the side of a masonry wall, still visible above ground. This section of the site has now been converted into an oratory.
Findings of the archaeological evaluation
Part of the battery was rediscovered during the evaluation performed by Inrap in 2012. The trenches dug close to the remains of the elevated section helped determine the footprint of the building. The sections of excavated walls enabled archaeologists to reconstruct the battery, which covered a surface around of approximately 3,000 sq.m.
A comparison between the excavated remains and the 1822 maps revealed disparities between the reality in the field and the original plans, including the location and direction of the ramp leading to the firing platform, which was built further back from the perimeter wall than it appeared on the map. The portable finds shed light on daily life in this battery, including pieces of crockery and parts of a game.
