Shiver me timbers! Piratical council returns historic cannons it took without consent

TWO 300-year-old military cannons used as mooring bollards on the quayside of Minehead Harbour until their removal without planning permission three years ago, have been returned to their former site.

Somerset Council had claimed the cannons were a potential safety risk and local contractors were employed to dig up the guns in October, 2023.

But, now, after a dramatic about-turn, the council last week withdrew an application to its own planning department for retrospective permission to remove them, against the advice of its harbour authority.

Campaigners who led a storm of protest when the cannons were dug up and taken away without consultation were delighted by the news of their return.

Minehead Conservation Society chairman Sally Bainbridge said: “Removing the cannons without listed building consent was an illegal act.

“Therefore, it is absolutely the right thing to return them to where they belong.

“There was never any evidence produced to prove they had caused any kind of safety risk and our members are delighted that such a vital piece of the town’s heritage has been restored to its rightful place.”

Former Minehead town councillor Michael Burke, who happened to be on the harbour at the time and saw the guns dug out, said: “It was fortuitous that I was there to photograph what was going on.

“Otherwise, they would probably have disappeared without trace.

“There are still a lot of questions to be answered, including who ordered the guns to be dug up in the first place and how much this whole debacle has cost the ratepayers.

"Personally, I like them back on the harbour pier and they will cause interest because this time you can make out what they are, rather than just sticking up a few inches above the ground.

Minehead Museum trustees chairman Julian Luke said: “It is nice to see the cannons are finally back in the town.”

Mr Luke called for the cannons to be given some sort of protective coating and for a plaque or interpretation board to be provided.

The cannons, technically, ‘demi-culverins’ from the War of the Spanish Succession, arrived in Minehead about 300 years ago as part of the harbour defences.

Later, they were sunk muzzle-first into the quay and used to tie up ships.

In a statement to the Free Press this week, a Somerset Council spokesperson said the two guns were removed from the quay in 2023 ‘to allow better maintenance access and to address perceived health and safety concerns’.

The spokesperson said: “However, as Minehead Quay is a listed structure, the works required listed building consent and as this had not been obtained prior to the removal, the works, which caused concern locally, should not have been done.

“Following the removal, a specialist conservation report was commissioned to assess the most appropriate long-term conservation approach for the cannons.

“The report concluded that retaining the cannons within their historic marine environment represented the most effective and sustainable method of preservation, while also maintaining their significance as part of the listed quay.

“A decision was therefore taken to reinstate the cannons in their original location.

“They have been installed slightly higher than previously to ensure they remain a clearly visible heritage feature while reducing any potential risk they could present to quay users.

“Opportunities to apply for grant funding that might fund a future interpretation plaque and modest restoration works to the cannons will be investigated in the future.”

When the retrospective planning application was made in January, 2024, Minehead Town Council said that it ‘did not encourage retrospective planning applications as the applicant, Somerset Council, should have known planning permission was required for work on a listed structure within a conservation area’.

The town council said: “The cannons should be refurbished at Somerset Council’s expense and installed in an agreed suitable location.”

It was responding to the unitary authority’s application which stated: “The two cannons that were partially buried on the quayside at Minehead Harbour were removed as they presented a risk to the safety of both pedestrians and vehicles.

“The cannons were situated in a position which had no heritage significance and information available suggested they had been sited in various locations within the harbour over their lifespan.”

A statement to the planners by the council’s own harbour authority also identified the cannons as ‘an operational and health and safety hazard and a tangible risk to the users and public at Minehead Harbour’.

It said: “The cannons’ original placement obstructed essential operational activities associated with harbour operations, emergency access, and maintenance plant.

“The removal of the heritage cannons was necessary and justified on the grounds of public safety and operational efficiency.

“Removal to a site away from the harbour would be the best course of action.”

This week, several boat owners, who had supported the view that the cannons were blocking the path of cranes and emergency vehicles, claimed that putting them back in a narrow section of the quay has simply created the problem again.

One said: “Nobody consulted with us as to the best place to re-site the cannons.

“They should be dug up again and put somewhere away from the main quay.”