[Signals99]

Rochester-bred, Yes indeed there was an emergency water storage tank at the junction of Priestfields road and Maidstone road, in the grounds of the Roman Catholic Church, again it was of reinforced concrete construction and was a standard NFS type. As a point of interest there was a very large underground emergency tank oposite the Vineyard pub, the brass coupling point was built into the wall very near the Strand bus stop, the tank was situated in the garden of the house, behind the wall.  For all I know, it may still be there?

[Rochester-bred]

I remember the sign on the wall along the Vines in Rochester well .
Would this have been another water storage place ,it is the corner of Priestfields rd and Maidstone rd Rochester ,beside John Fishers church , I remember when young was I seem to remember as pond and below it (as in picture) what was a filled in larger circular feature ,both have been filled in for many years now and I have included a 1940s pic and present day showing the feature's.

[Signals99]

Smiffy, your assumption is correct. I remember both emergency water stores well. The City Way/Pattens Lane tank was reinforced concrete, after the war ended it was partially covered with galvanised mesh for safety reasons. It was demolished sometime in the 1946/47 era, about the same time as the large iron tanks in the Vines Rochester were removed. About this time I attended St Margaret`s primary school. Just opposite the school gate was a brick wall, part of the Kings school buildings, on the corner of Vines Lane.  Well into the late fifties there was a painted plan stating location and capacity of emergency storage tanks in the vicinity. It was very well painted, just never seemed to fade,  maybe because the wall was rounded and protected it from direct weathering.

[smiffy]

Thanks otis, looks like my initial guess was probably correct then.

[otis]

Not Kent, but similar things here........

http://www.yeovilhistory.info/watertanksites.htm

[smiffy]

I'm not quite sure where to post this so I'm putting it in General Military as I am presupposing that these may have been temporary war-time features.

I'm wondering if anyone can identify these circular objects from the 1945 aerial photographs.

The one on the left is situated on the City Way/Old Pattens Lane junction and is about 25 feet in diameter. The one on the right is a bit further south and is sited near the junction of City Way/Pattens Lane. This one is about 35 feet in diameter.

Initial thoughts - possible emergency water tanks for fire-fighting?