Lulworth Ranges

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Lulworth Ranges
Purbeck Hills, Dorset
Tank Ranges - geograph.org.uk - 16.jpg
Tank hulls used as targets on the ranges
Dorset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Lulworth Ranges
Location within Dorset
Coordinates 50°38′24″N2°10′12″W / 50.64000°N 2.17000°W / 50.64000; -2.17000
TypeRange
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
OperatorFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Site history
Built1917
Built for War Office
In use1917-Present

The Lulworth Ranges are military firing ranges located between Wareham and Lulworth in Dorset, England. They cover an area of more than 2,830 hectares (7,000 acres), [1] are leased in a rolling contract from the Weld Estate by the Ministry of Defence and are part of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School based at Lulworth Camp. [2] The ranges were established in 1917. [3]

Contents

Location

The ranges are about 10 km (6 mi) west of Swanage and about 15 km (9 mi) east of Dorchester. They lie within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and stretches along the coastline between the east of Lulworth Cove to just west of Kimmeridge. The coastline is part of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [4] The range includes the ghost village of Tyneham, deserted in 1943 and abandoned permanently following its compulsory purchase by the Army in 1948.

Use

The ranges are used for static and mobile live-firing practice by tanks and other armoured vehicles. The ranges are cleared for use by tank main armament and other vehicle-mounted heavy weapons.

Moving targetry system

Track of moving targetry system Lulworth Ranges on OpenStreetMap.jpg
Track of moving targetry system

Lulworth Ranges has an electrically powered rail targetry system which is visible on Google Earth and from the surrounding hills. The railway consists of a four track shed on a short branch, which is connected to a small within a large loop.

Access

For safety reasons, access to the public is only permissible when the ranges are not in operation. Large red flags are flown and flashing warning lamps on Bindon Hill and St Alban's Head are lit when the ranges are in use. [5] At such times the entrance gates are locked and wardens patrol the area.

Access to the area is by foot either via the South West Coast Path or from the car parks at Lulworth Castle, Tyneham, Ridgeway Hill and Povington Hill. The range walks and coast path are open most weekends and some weekdays. [6]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flower's Barrow</span>

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Ridgeway Hill, also referred to as Grange Hill or Steeple Hill, is the third highest point of the Purbeck Hills in the county of Dorset standing at 199 metres (653 ft), is one of the only hills with a prominence of over a hundred metres, HuMPs, in the county. Near the top of the hill is an 18th-century folly known as Grange Arch, built by the former owner of Creech Grange, Denis Bond. On the eastern spur of the hill is Stonehill Down which is now a nature reserve. There are also good views of Swyre Head on the Jurassic Coast.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyneham House</span> House in Dorset, England

Tyneham House is a ruined Elizabethan detached house, located in Tyneham, Dorset, England. It was built by Henry Williams between 1563 and 1583 and was for over 250 years occupied by the Bond family, who were the landowners of Tyneham. The house, which was once a scheduled monument, became fell into dereliction after Tyneham was requisitioned and evacuated by the War Office in 1943. The Army partially demolished the house in 1968 and some of its stone and features were salvaged for use elsewhere in the county. The remaining ruins are out of bounds to the public.

References

  1. "Public access to military areas". web page. Ministry of Defence. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  2. The Lulworth Ranges at www.dorsetforyou.com. Accessed on 25 May 2013.
  3. "A brief history of Lulworth Ranges" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  4. "Dorset and East Devon Coast". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2001. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  5. "MOD defence/about defence: Lulworth ranges" . Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  6. "Access Opportunities on the Defence Estate: Lulworth" (PDF). Retrieved 19 December 2010.