The Victorian fort complex at Wight's western tip was built in 1862 to prepare for a French invasion that never came. The site went on to serve in two world wars and then became a secret Cold War rocket-testing base. Walk to the battery along the cliffs from Alum Bay (1 mile) or hop on the summer-only, open-top Needles Breezer tourist bus that runs regularly between battery and bay.
The whiff of gunpowder seems to linger; shells and powder kegs lie around, uniforms hang on pegs. Depending on which parts of the displays have been reopened, you may be able to pinpoint ships' positions with the rangefinders. Also check whether the underground passageway to the searchlight post is open. If it is you'll scramble down an ornate spiral staircase, along an echoey 60m tunnel and see close-up views of the chalky-white eroded Needles cliffs.
In the 1950s the batteries staged top-secret trials of Black Knight rockets; built at East Cowes they were later used to launch Cold War surveillance satellites into space from Australia. If it's reopened, the tiny underground bunker at New Battery has displays outlining how this remote location and existing fortification proved ideal for keeping clandestine activities away from prying eyes.
