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Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 67 SE 89 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Second World War searchlight battery, formerly interpreted as a Bronze Age settlement |
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Summary
A WW2 searchlight installation visible as two adjacent curvilinear embanked enclosures with diameters of c.12.5m. Both have two opposing entrances and a slight outer ditch. The north-easterly enclosure had a slight central mound about 1m across which is thought to be the sound locator. This emplacement also had an embanked entrance sith offset banks (perhaps sandbags) creating a zig-zag entrance to the NE for emergency air raid protection. The southern enclosure housed the searchlight. Both were seen surviving as earthworks on aerial photographs teken in 1950, but were subsequently levelled and visible as a cropmark , appearing as two incomplete ditched curvilinear enclosures with no trace of an inner bank. Immediately to the south of the searchlight emplacement was a single weapons pit for a LAMG (Light Anti-aircraft macine gun) to protect the searchlight. These were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project.
| Grid Reference: | TQ 6691 7360 |
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| Map Sheet: | TQ67SE |
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| Parish: | GRAVESEND, GRAVESHAM, KENT |
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Monument Types
Full description
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Circular/sub-circular enclosed settlement with entrance only, sited to TQ 66937361 and TQ 66907360. Cropmarks interpreted as Bronze Age in date from poor quality air photographs (site nos. KE 139.1.1 and 139.2.1) (1-2)
A WW2 searchlight installation visible as two adjacent curvilinear embanked enclosures with diameters of c.12.5m, located at TQ 6693 7361 and TQ 6689 7359. Both have two opposing entrances and a slight outer ditch. The north-easterly enclosure had a slight central mound about 1m across which is thought to be the sound locator. This emplacement also had an embanked entrance sith offset banks (perhaps sandbags) creating a zig-zag entrance to the NE for emergency air raid protection. The southern enclosure housed the searchlight. Both were seen surviving as earthworks on aerial photographs teken in 1950, but were subsequently levelled and visible as a cropmark, appearing as two incomplete ditched curvilinear enclosures with no trace of an inner bank. Immediately to the south of the searchlight emplacement was a single weapons pit for a LAMG (Light Anti-aircraft macine gun) to protect the searchlight. These were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project.(3-7)
<1> AP's (RAF 58/501 F5101 (10-06-50) ) (OS Card Reference). SKE34278.
<2> The Classification of cropmarks in Kent: A Report for MPP. RCHM APU (July 1989), list 27. (OS Card Reference). SKE50290.
<3> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9431.
<4> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9434.
<5> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9435.
<6> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10016.
<7> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10017.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1>XY | OS Card Reference: AP's (RAF 58/501 F5101 (10-06-50) ). [Mapped feature: #16650 Battery, ] |
| <2> | OS Card Reference: The Classification of cropmarks in Kent: A Report for MPP. RCHM APU (July 1989), list 27.. |
| <3> | Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4101. print. |
| <4> | Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4121. print. |
| <5> | Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4123. print. |
| <6> | Photograph (Print): 1944. Photograph. 4019. print. |
| <7> | Photograph (Print): 1944. Photograph. 4021. print. |
Related records
| TQ 67 SE 277 | Part of: Cropmarks, Westcourt Marshes (Monument) |
