Hawkins Battery is a former sea defence fortification dating from around 1890. It was a High-Angle Battery initially with 9-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) guns, which were updated with two  9-inch  Breech Loading (BL) guns by 1911, to provide "plunging down" fire onto the decks of enemy ships to deter them from bombarding Plymouth Dockyard. The gunner's quarters, officer's accommodation and canteen remain in good repair.