Dorset Council - full-scale structural replica - 1800s rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 64-pounder cannon

Project Overview

Dorset Council commissioned a full-scale structural replica of an 1800s rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 64-pounder cannon. It was the centrepiece of a lottery-funded project to restore heritage, interpretation and public access to the historic High Angle Battery site in Portland, Dorset.

The Challenge

Armadillo Engineering worked alongside Smith & Jones, heritage interpretation designers. We were tasked with turning their creative concept into a physical reality.

The brief presented a unique and intricate challenge: to create something entirely new that looked authentically old, built using modern machinery yet indistinguishable from the original. A replica faithful down to the smallest rivet, wheel spoke and period-correct coating.

With no engineering drawings to work from, only historical illustrations, our DFM team converted these into precise, manufacturable CAD drawings and from there into fabricated steel. An additional constraint was that the site is heritage-protected, meaning nothing could be bolted down, a key consideration built into the design from the outset.

Image 1: Armadillo Tech drawing. Image 2: The new replica - 1800s rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 64-pounder cannon

Scope of Work

Armadillo engineered and built every element of the installation, the cannon barrel, carriage, rotating platform, spoked wheels, riveted panels, all mechanical detail, and the life-size interpretive figures displayed alongside. The figures were constructed from fabricated steel and finished with an aluminium layer, each dressed in an interpreted Victorian gun crew uniform to give visitors a true human sense of scale and bring the working life of the battery to life.

Scale & Delivery

At 3.1 metres tall, 3.7 metres in diameter and weighing just over 1 tonne, the structure was too large to transport in one piece. It was engineered in sections and installed on a heritage-protected site with significant vehicle access and road restrictions, all delivered in time for spring opening.

The Outcome

The cannon now stands at Portland's High Angle Battery as the centrepiece of a nationally recognised heritage project, awarded Highly Commended by the Council for British Archaeology for excellence in public engagement and presentation. We're proud to be part of bringing the High Angle Battery back to life.

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