Providing protection to the natural harbour of Longhope on the island of Hoy in Orkney, the Hackness Battery overlooks the harbour entrance from the South Walls peninsula. Built in 1813 in response to the threat to shipping from the French and American privateers, the battery comprises a masonry rampart, buried beneath a soil embankment, which was equipped with eight 24-pounder guns. The battery is supported by a barracks, officers' quarters and a powder magazine. A Martello Tower was built a short distance to the southeast in 1814. The guns on both the battery and tower were upgraded to 68-pounders in the 1860s, after Britain became suspicious of Napoleon III's territorial ambitions. The battery had never been used in anger and the guns were finally removed in 1900. The area remained in use by the military, as part of the Scapa Flow naval base, until 1922 when it was sold off.
Since 1995, the battery has been in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is managed alongside the Hackness Martello Tower.
