[kyn]

Looking down...

[Riding With The Angels]

More pics from the deep shelter - anyone know what the mould is? I didn't want to breath in too close to it!

[theartist]

thirded

[Riding With The Angels]

Good luck JohnG - let us know when it's published. I for one shall buy a copy. 

cliveh

Seconded.

[cliveh]

Good luck JohnG - let us know when it's published. I for one shall buy a copy. 

cliveh

[JohnG]

I am in the process of writing a book on Dover's 20th century Coast Batteries.  This will cover from Capel Battery to St Margaret's 5.5-inch Battery and I hope will cover all aspects of the batteries.  I have been collecting material for this book for many years.  I spent much time with Col Arnold and learnt a lot from him and he passed on a lot of material.  I also spent time with Brig Richards, commanding officer of 540 C.R.R.A. and have all his Dover related papers.  I want to make sure I get it right.

[unfairytale]

You should buy, After The Battle, No. 29. The Cross Channel Guns. It has a great aerial photo showing the emplacements from Fan Hole to St Margaret's. There's a caption above the St. Margaret's site which reads 'Z Rocket Battery'. I'm sure this is to blame for the mis-naming of the site which annoys quite a few of us, JohnG and myself included.

[theartist]

i find it all very confusing trying to get a picture in my head of the overall scenario in the st. mags/dover area.a comprehensive book would help a lot, listing all that is and where it is could help clarify....is there one?

[JohnG]

I keep seeing on various underground and tunnel sites a title of 'The Z Rocket Battery Tunnels' at St Margaret's Bay.  I take it they mean the deep shelter  for the 5.5-inch Battery at St Margaret's Bay.  This is an error that should be corrected.

[BenG]

The deep shelter at St. Margaret's Battery has three entrances, two where behind the guns and are now sealed. The third is close to the cliff edge. This is unlined and the entrance runs down a slope parallel with the cliff face and then turns left inland. At this point there is also an opening to the right in the cliff face, it is a long drop down! This tunnel continues unlined until the main shelter itself. The shelter is two parallel tunnels with an additional connecting tunnel that was added for the use of medical services. The shelter can house the 4 officer's and 165 other ranks from the battery in its 3,480ft of floor space with an average of 60ft cover.
This shelter was constructed by 171 Tunnelling Coy Royal Engineers.

[DoverDan]

It seems the Hoods guns were a popular choice, Mill point battery in Folkestone also had four of her guns.

[unfairytale]

The four 5.5" guns at St. Margarets were originally on the Battle Cruiser HMS Hood.

[unfairytale]

I went in the deep shelter today. Here are my photos.

Looking up to the entrance:


Turn right at the bottom and you face certain death!


But turn left and...


Past the loos and into the main tunnel:


Looking up the second of three entrances. (blocked)



Sat in the same spot but to my right. One of the short connecting tunnels:


At the end of connecting tunnel, turn right again:


Half-way along look right and you can see down another connecting tunnel all the way to the shaft of death:


At the end is the double flight of the other blocked entrance. Looking down from small landing:


And left looking up:


The second main tunnel with entrance to unlined section halfway along on left:


Sorry that it mirrors some other pics on here. It's a lazy cut and paste from another forum where I've just spent almost two hours posting them.  ;D

[unfairytale]

Whilst I was up Landon cliffs trying to find information about the prison. I ended-up talking to a person from the National Trust. At the end of a meandering conversation, I was told that the NT wrote a letter of complaint to the makers of Inside-Out about Kaddy Lee Preston going into and filming in the deep shelter.