Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Probable site of C19th admiralty semaphore telegraph station. Located on a hill one mile south of Kingsdown. Suggested terminus of the London-South Foreland line. The site is now a golf course

Monument Types

• TELEGRAPH STATION? (TELEGRAPH STATION, Post Medieval to Modern - 1800 AD to 1999 AD?)

Full description

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(TR 37694686) Semaphore (Disused) (NAT) (1) (see illust card) Site of an Old Telegraph Station. The exact site of the South Foreland terminal station is difficult to determine. But the fact that in one place it is named as the South Foreland, the discovery of a message from 'Kingsdown' and the existance on the 1871 six-inch OS of a site marked 'Semaphore (Disused)' on a 200ft hill overlooking the channel one mile south of Kingsdown, and now the site of a golf course, are useful clues. The OS position was also that the former Admiralty Coast signal station and was so shown on the 1819 OS. This station was probably the terminus of the London to South Foreland telegraph. (2) additional references (3-5)

<1> OS 6" 1871 (OS Card Reference). SKE48307.

<2> The Old Telegraphs 1976 90 (G Wilson) (OS Card Reference). SKE50459.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1862-1875, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 1st Edition : 1862-1875, 1877/1:2500 (Map). SWX11831.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1893-7, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 2nd edition : 1893-1898, 1898/1:2500 (Map). SWX11832.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 2009, OS MasterMap, MasterMap (Cartographic materials). SWX15710.

Sources and further reading

Related records