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Monument details
| HER Number: | 1533902 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | HYTHE AND DYMCHURCH LIGHT RAILWAY |
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Summary
An extensive area of Second World War coastal defences are visible on aerial photographs of 1942 as earthworks and structures at the northern end of Greatstone-on-Sea. These features were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the South East RCZAS NMP project.
| Grid Reference: | TR 0808 2254 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR02SE |
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| Parish: | LYDD, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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| NEW ROMNEY, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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Monument Types
- ANTI TANK OBSTACLE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- BARBED WIRE OBSTRUCTION (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- BOMB CRATER (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- COASTAL BATTERY (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- GUN EMPLACEMENT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Full description
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This sizeable defended locality is centred at TR 0808 2254, and extends across an area measuring approximately 250m east to west either side of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (Monument Number 1357333); and 680m north to south between Seaview Road and the point where Dunes Road meets Coast Drive.
The defences visible on the 1942 vertical aerial photographs include anti tank cubes spanning the gaps between seafront houses; wavy lines of barbed wire behind the railway line; aprons of barbed wire either side of the railway which may have been covering minefields; an anti aircraft battery of the Emergency Coastal Battery type (TR 0817 2254), and a possible weapons pit or gun emplacement on the beach (TR 0819 2233). Two small possible bomb craters are visible on vertical aerial photographs of 1946 (TR 0814 2235 and TR 0800 2237). The sites of these two craters have since been developed for housing.
By the time of the next available vertical aerial photograph of 1959, the barbed wire, anti-tank cubes and coastal battery had all been removed. The site of the possible gun emplacement (TR 0819 2233) has since been developed for housing (1-3).
<1> Vertical aerial photograph reference number (Unspecified Type). SWX23762.
<2> 1946, NMR CPE/UK/1752 3002-3 21-SEPT-1946 (Photograph). SWX23759.
<3> RAF, 1959, NMR RAF/58/2778 0199-0200 01-MAY-1959 (Photograph). SWX23876.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | (No record type): Vertical aerial photograph reference number. |
| <2> | Photograph: 1946. NMR CPE/UK/1752 3002-3 21-SEPT-1946. |
| <3> | Photograph: RAF. 1959. NMR RAF/58/2778 0199-0200 01-MAY-1959. |
Related records
| 1533853 | Part of: Four possible Second World War bomb craters are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 (Monument) |
