Wanstone Battery
This site was an even rarer opportunity than Fort Burgoyne.
Not even on the map as Wanstone Battery, this National Trust site is hardly ever open to the public and we'd have missed it were it not for the Heritage Open Days Festival advertising it.
On top of that, the site itself was harder to find, hidden within farmland and shrubbery upon the White Cliffs, we admit we took a wrong turn on the way!
It all started when Mr Churchill became PM. It was clear Kent needed defending so talks were had to install land guns between Dover and Dungeness. In September 1941, Wanstone Farm became home to two 15 inch guns, Jane and Clem. The guns used the spare barrels made for the QE battleships as they were faster to load, easier to aim, and not as prone to faults as their predecessors Winnie and Pooh.
These guns were the largest long range weapons to have been installed on British mainland and their reach could even be used to target the French coast. The first gun, Jane, was named after 'Just Jane' the cartoon character found in the Daily Mirror. Clem, named after Clement Atlee the Deputy PM was commissioned one month after its sister gun in 1942. Jane and Clem were served by branch railway lines that passed both in front and behind the land placements. Some of the tracks are still here even though the guns are not.
Behind the guns was the crew shelter and accommodation. Unlike their enemy counterparts who relied on concrete reinforcements, these buildings relied on nature for protection, the Earth and grassing tops also providing camouflage. We actually learnt while here that plant pots were placed around the site as from above it was disguised as a house and by having plant pots the British managed to deceive the enemy by leading them to assume it just had a nice garden.
However, the sister guns didn't have a very long lifetime. Lasting only 2 years, the guns saw their final action in 1944 when they provided covering fire on the French mainland and took out the A6 battery. They delivered an impressive 1150 rounds of fire during their service and even sank a ship, but the barrels wore quickly and were easily superseded by newer models, so Wanstone fell out of favour.
However, they were taken on by the 4th Coast Training Regiment and they continued service, albeit intermittently, until 1952 when they were finally decommissioned. They were seen as too costly to continue with and so five years later they were demolished, however the concrete areas and buildings surrounding this were considered as too costly to bother demolishing, especially as unlike the guns there was no scrap value. So the land was handed back for farming and it was only recently (2017) that the amount of concrete, tunnels, and buildings was discovered and unearthed as they'd been buried. Works are ongoing to uncover and preserve the site, but effectively the last unit to use it locked the doors and walked away.
While we were there, the guide told us how one of the shelters was literally abandoned and so when recovered required new windows and the inside was spoilt, however the shelter for the other gun was completely intact all thanks to the last man in there. He had closed the shutters, locked the doors and left everything preserved for history lovers to find 50 years or so later. It was thanks to this hero that the other shelter was able to be fully restored to match.
It was in 2017 that National Trust acquired the site, with help from Dame Vera Lynn who was a deep supporter for the war heritage of Dover to be preserved. They exposed Jane and are deciding on the outcome of Clem, but as work is continuing the site is not open to the public, except on very special occasions.
While there, we also learnt of the road having to be tarmacked over as it was originally white which of course from above made it seem very interesting! But with age the cracks came and shows the original road underneath.
We were lucky enough to explore the gun ranges, shelters, Jane (or what is left of her), and storage space. Yogi was also allowed in all areas which was amazing and this was just a brilliant well rounded experience. We got a souvenir regiment badge, loads of photos, and an interesting look at wartime Dover. We can't wait to see what this site goes on to do next!
Haunted? Without a doubt. While no deaths were mentioned, only a near miss due to the gun misfiring (the pin was still in the engineers pocket!), this place has such an eerie feel with its abandoned buildings that we wouldn't be surprised if spirits returned here to defend the coast in death. The site boasts a very lonely atmosphere due to it literally being turned over and left to nature, it is a ghost in itself!
DISCLAIMER: Now for the official bit. This blog does not receive any paid promotions from the places mentioned above. We have not been approached to promote or act as spokespersons for any attraction mentioned within this post and this is simply a post intended to act as a day in the life of a couple on a cute date. All photos included are taken by ourselves and as such the rights for these images our ours, no links, brands, or companies mentioned otherwise belong or are associated with Phantom Adventures UK. We are responsible only for this blog. Opinions are our own and not influenced by any third party source..
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