Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Langdon Coast Artillery searchlight battery engine, generator and caretakers house dating to WWII, visible in 1942, 1945 and 1946 and located in Dover. Only the foundations of the caretakers house were seen in 2007.

Monument Types

• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• DITCH (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• ENGINE HOUSE (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• HOUSE (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• STRUCTURE (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• BARBED WIRE ENTANGLEMENT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• WEAPONS PIT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

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The site of the generator and caretaker’s property at the head of Langdon Stairs. The remains of the buildings were pulled down in 1979 as part of KCC's Eye-Sore Fund. The site comprises a rectangular levelled platform, orientated NW-SE on its long axis. At the NE corner is a hole in the ground which may lead to a basement bunker or underground shelter. This is the site of the Caretakers bungalow. To the south-east is another levelled platform which was the site of the engine house. Plans show that there was an earth bunker on the south west side by the site appears to have been levelled. The perimeter boundary is indicated by concrete footings on an earthwork lynchet. (1)

Langdon Coast Artillery engine, generator and caretakers house dating to WWII, visible on aerial photography taken in 1942, 1945 and 1946 [2, 3, 4 and 5] and located in Dover. The total site spanned 330m x 160m and was located at the cliff edge. The caretaker’s house measuring 13m x 7.5m, the engine building of 14m x 7.5m and a smaller structure measuring 4m x 2.5m were surrounded by a L-shaped bank between 2m and 10m wide, a ditch of maximum 2m wide and pathways. Just to the N was a ditch 56m long and between 2m and 3m wide, which may have represented a temporary weapons dump. Enveloping the whole site was 580m of barbed wire, which was comprised of multiple layers. Just outside the barbed wire to the E was a small bank of 4.5m x 3m.

The surrounding barbed wire was visible on aerial photography taken in 1946, but was removed by 1978 (6). The external ditches were also seen to be removed by this date, along with the caretaker’s house. The small bank outside the barbed wire entanglement was also absent. Next Perspectives photography taken in 2007 (7) showed the foundations of the caretakers house to be the only surviving feature.

This site is part of the Searchlight Battery, which is recorded under the Kent HER record MKe17260. To the SW lay an area of WWII earthworks (MWX43547). To the N lay a rifle range (MWX43563) and a large number of slit trenches (MWX43581).

<1> Nicola Bannister, 1999, Langdon Cliffs Survey (Unpublished document). SKE6595.

<7> Next Perspectives consortium via English Heritage, 2003, 2007, Next Perspective PGA georeferenced aerial photograph data, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: TR3442 28-APR-2007_Updates (Graphic material). SWX15711.

Sources and further reading

Related records