Isle of Wight against air attacks but repeated German air attacks necessitated improvements in the fortifications at the site. Troops trained for the D-Day landing on the neighbouring cliffs. After the war, the Ministry of Defence deactivated the batteries. In the 1950s, the battery was used for testing the Blue Streak missile, as well as the Black Knight and Black Arrow satellite launch vehicles. Like the Old Battery, the New Battery has also been listed at Grade II. The surviving parts of the rocket testing facilities are a scheduled monument. National Trust opening When the site came into the possession of the National Trust, it was decided to restore the Old Battery so that it could be opened to the general public. The National Trust Youth Group comprising local schoolchildren and teachers assisted in preparing the site for its official opening in 1982. The site is still managed by the National Trust and is open daily from mid-March to the end of October. It gives visitors an insight into how a Victorian battery would work and giving a glimpse into the life of a soldier based at the Battery during the Second World War. Along with a series of exhibition rooms and the tunnel there are a number of visitor facilities including a tearoom. The New Battery was opened to the public in 2004 and has a display on the history of the British rocket development between the 1950s and 1970s. Gallery References Publications Anthony Cantwell, "The Needles Battery", Fort, 1985 (Fortress Study Group), (13), pp69–89 External links The Needles Battery - official site Victorian Forts data sheet on Old Needles Battery Victorian Forts data sheet on New Needles Battery Needles Old Battery, WightCAM - photographically illustrated walks on the Isle of Wight website Images of the Old Battery National Trust properties on the Isle of Wight Museums on the Isle of Wight Military and war museums in England Coastal fortifications Grade II listed buildings on the Isle of Wight Grade II listed forts Forts on the Isle of Wight Artillery batteries Cold War sites Palmerston Forts