Out of range

On the Eastern base of at Cathrines Hill, on the fringes of the old forest boundary, amongst the heather, gorse and sapling Silver Birch are the twisted metal and fractured concrete remnants of a firing range. Over grown and mostly forgotten, these remains represent episodes of military use; the heath lands of the hill have traditionally be brought into service by the military when the world or political climate has necessitated, as far back as the Romans and possibly beyond, evidence of prehistoric activity and use are common. The remains are of the target end of the range, behind the exposed ground is littered with green fragments of brass cased full metal jacketed ammunition. The range itself has been left to regeneration and has all but disappeared, although if you search hard, you can identify the firing platforms and even the occasional spent case. Although the majority of ammunition fragments represent .303, the British military standard for a hundred years, making phases of use hard to define; the discovery of a badly corroded 9mm case proves use during WW2. The soils here are poor and corrosive, so any spent cases found are in degraded condition. An interesting site, representing some of Christchurchs extensive and diverse military history; unfortunately little military activity continues in the local.