Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An extensive Second World War military site is visible occupying Dungeness headland on vertical aerial photographs of 1941, 1942 and 1946. The site is surrounded by barbed wire defences, and includes nissen huts, barrack blocks and other military buildings, gun emplacements, weapons pits, and coastal batteries (Monument Numbers 1485941 and 1485942); as well as pillboxes and slit trenches. The majority of these structures had all gone by the time of the vertical aerial photographs of 1962. These features were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the South East RCZAS NMP project.

Monument Types

• ANTI AIRCRAFT GUN EMPLACEMENT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• BARBED WIRE OBSTRUCTION (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• COASTAL BATTERY (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• MILITARY BUILDING (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• NISSEN HUT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• PILLBOX (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/23) (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• SLIT TRENCH (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• WEAPONS PIT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

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This widespread site is centred at TR 0924 1690, and extends for approximately 1.9km around the headland from the what is now the site of the easternmost buildings of the Power Station site at Dungeness (TR 0840 1683) in the west, to just east of Beach Cottage to the north (TR 0942 1773). The structures of this site mostly sit just inland of the defensive beach scaffolding (Monument Number 1533475), although the scaffolding is straddled by the barbed wire perimeter of the site in places.

The core of this military site appears to be centred at TR 0930 1694, towards the southern end of the remains visible on aerial photographs. This is strategically located on the very point of Dungeness Headland. Up to five parallel lines of barbed wire surround this roughly oval area measuring approximately 575m by 227m. Several parallel lines of barbed wire also surround structures of importance within this site, such as at TR 0919 1685. A gun emplacement of the Emergency Coastal Battery type is visible as an interconnected group of three outward-facing structures on the seaward side of the beach scaffolding (centred at TR 0942 1694). This has been recorded separately as Monument Number 1485941. Inland from this, an accommodation site including nissen huts is located (centred at TR 0935 1697). Pillboxes and other military structures of a variety of sizes and shapes were also mapped from aerial photographs at this location. Some of the pillboxes were identifiable from aerial photographs as Type 23 pillboxes, which had an anti-aircraft function provided by weaponry located in a small open courtyard at one end of the rectangular structure.

The aerial photographs clearly show the development of this site, with elements of it still under construction in the 1941 photographs. The emergency coastal battery recorded separately as Monument Number 1485941, but which sits within this complex was still a building site at that stage. Some of the features visible on oblique aerial photographs of 1941, such as nissen huts, slit trenches, and rows of possible construction supplies had gone by the time of the vertical aerial photographs of 1942.

To the north of this most heavily defended core of the site; further associated structures are included within the outer barbed wire perimeter. These include a group of four small weapons pits surrounded by barbed wire at TR 0950 1723. This may alternatively have been a small anti-aircraft gun emplacement. Further nissen huts and other possible accommodation buildings can be seen centred at TR 0931 1718 and TR 0939 1766 on the aerial photographs. A tall rectangular coastal battery structure is located just inland of the beach scaffolding at TR 0946 1741. The battery is most clearly visible on oblique aerial photographs of 1941.

The barbed wire surrounding the main core of this site also extended to the south-west, up to the Coastguard Lookout and what is now the eastern end of the Power Station complex. This small satellite area of the main site included nissen huts, a coastal battery (recorded separately as Monument Number 1485942), and three groups of weapons pits or gun emplacements, all surrounded by one or two lines of barbed wire. The groups of weapons pits each consisted of five or six dug-out positions, protected from above with banked-up shingle, and connected by narrow winding slit trenches. They are centred at TR 0895 1666, TR 0882 1665 and TR 0885 1674.

A possible mobile anti-aircraft battery or searchlight battery is also visible just to the west of the easternmost group of weapons pits at TR 0893 1667. This consists of what appears to be a buggy or trailer, with some kind of structure mounted on top of it. The detail visible on the 1941 oblique aerial photograph is a little to small to be more precise.

The majority of these military structures, including the large coastal battery (Monument Number 1485941) and adjacent accommodation site; as well as the extensive barbed wire defences; beach scaffolding; and weapons pits or anti-aircraft gun emplacements are all gone by the time of the next available vertical aerial photograph of 1962 (1-5).

<1> RAF, 1941, NMR TR 0816/8 RAF/GHQ/156 0649 27-MAY-1941 (Photograph). SWX23616.

<2> RAF, 1941, NMR TR 0917/3 RAF/GHQ/156 0654 27-MAY-1941 (Photograph). SWX23621.

<3> RAF, 1942, NMR RAF/FNO/25 6036-6039 26-JUN-1942 (Photograph). SWX23909.

<4> RAF, 1942, NMR RAF/AC81 198-9 26-AUG-1942 (Photograph). SWX23610.

<5> 1962, NMR MAL/62513 98004-6 11-APR-1962 (Photograph). SWX23771.

Sources and further reading

Related records