Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Second World War Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) radar station is visible on aerial photographs taken in 1941 and 1946. Most of the structures of the site are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs taken in 2007. Aerial photography from 1983 shows that two large rectilinear structures survive to the north of gun emplacements. Only a small area of this site extends into the project area of the South East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey NMP (Component 2), and three structures have been drawn. The extent of the site has been outlined. This site is located adjacent to Lydden Spout coastal battery (NMR: 1423481), and the same barbed wire obstructions enclose both sites.

Monument Types

• CHAIN HOME STATION (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• RADAR STATION (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

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A Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low radar station located at Lydden Spout (TR 285 390), called site M2. Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) radar stations were operated by the British Army to detect shipping and aircraft. CD/CHL sites opened from spring 1941 and comprised a brick or concrete operations block with an aerial gantry mounted on the roof and a separate standby set house for the reserve power. Staff were billeted where possible, but some stations had a small layout of domestic hutting situated within one mile of the site. From 1942 CD/CHL sites were combined with the Royal Air Force's Chain Home Low (CHL) sites to form one system of low-cover radar under the control of the RAF. Selected stations were upgraded with centimetric radars to become the K-series of Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) stations. This improvement in radar technology meant that fewer stations were needed to give the same coverage and as a result many CHL and CD/CHL stations not upgraded were closed. Lydden Spout was upgraded to a CHEL station called site K148. (1)

Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low and later Chain Home Extra Low station at Lyddon Spout. Aerial photography from 1983 shows that two large rectilinear structures survive to the north of emplacements. (2)

A Second World War Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) radar station is visible on aerial photographs taken in 1941 and 1946. Most of the structures of the site are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs taken in 2007.

Only a small area of this site extends into the project area of the South East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey NMP (Component 2), and three structures have been drawn. The extent of the site has been outlined. This site is located adjacent to Lydden Spout coastal battery (NMR: 1423481), and the same barbed wire obstructions enclose both sites (3-5).

<1> Twentieth century fortifications in England, volume 7. Acoustics and radar: England's early warning systems 1915-1945, pp 130,167 (Unspecified Type). SWX23709.

<2> Twentieth century military recording project: World War Two radar stations, pp 86 (Unspecified Type). SWX23713.

<3> Vertical aerial photograph reference number (Unspecified Type). SWX23842.

<4> RAF, 1946, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1093 4007-4008 03-JAN-1946 (Photograph). SWX23799.

<5> Vertical aerial photograph reference number (Unspecified Type). SWX23719.

Sources and further reading

Related records