Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The Drop Redoubt was a key element of the Western Heights fortifications.There are slit trenches and weapons pits cut into the rampart of the redoubt at various locations. These may be of either First or Second World War date, since some of them look quite old on aerial photographs taken during the late 1940s. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• SLIT TRENCH (Modern - 1914 AD? to 1949 AD?)

Full description

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There are slit trenches and weapons pits cut into the rampart of the redoubt at various locations. These may be of either First or Second World War date, since some of them look quite old on aerial photographs taken during the late 1940s. They are sited to command a wide expanse of ground around the redoubt, including the ditch. In several places the parapet wall and embrasures are damaged to enable access to them. There are two forms, the first of which are linear trenches, either straight or dog-legged, averaging 1.5m in width and up to 0.8m deep. Some of these are quite large, like those above nos 2 and 3 caponiers. The second group take the form of subcircular pits, the largest 3.5m across, of similar depth to the trenches. It is possible that the latter were machine gun positions, dating from the late 19th century onwards. (summarised from report) (1)

<1> English Heritage, 2000, The Western Heights, Dover, Kent. Report No 3 The Drop Redoubt: A 19th-Century Artillery Fortification (Unpublished document). SKE13677.

Sources and further reading

Related records