DarkDog
May 22nd, 2009, 22:57
A beautiful evening in East Kent, just right for the madness that is accessing this shelter.
Built as underground accommodation and medical facilities for serving the three gun 6" battery at Lydden Spout, work took place in 1941 by 681 General Company Coy, Royal Engineers. 681 were based at Northfall Meadow below Dover Castle during this period and also worked on the underground hospital there.
The main entrance to the shelter has long been backfilled and buried - access now involves a hair raising descent down the cliff face, followed by an equally hair raising ascent to the secondary entrance. Thousands of tons of chalk balance precariously above the entrance, supported by nothing more than a couple of rotting beams and thin air!
Chalk falls have all but buried the sole surviving entrance
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3561/3555305778_f54d8e92b5.jpg
Once in - looking back to the entrance.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3555281978_722cc9885f.jpg
Once past the unlined sections, the shelter has a more familiar construction.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3554470677_de95d6f891.jpg
From then on it's just a case of exploring the layout.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3554466753_a3886b534c.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3558/3554454687_c50c905c20.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/3555268402_83422863ed.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/3554458269_d68f6256eb.jpg
Good to see that the ventilation trunking is still intact, even though it's come away from the ceiling.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/3555271254_dfd7f0e550.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3555257910_68f632c434.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3555254638_608594142b.jpg
Layout is similar to other deep shelters in this area - three flights of stairs led to the surface.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3555250844_50d5659f8c.jpg
What really marks this shelter out is the amount of wartime graffitti - here are a few samples:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/3554483077_6104c6a37e.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3554487121_17ceae7015.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/3554490877_8c8bcf7946.jpg
And this little poem obviously meant something at the time:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/3555287418_b161a6fe21.jpg
It reads:
"I must go down to Liverpool again,
To the Mersey's sea and sky.
And all I ask is a cargo and ship,
With a crew of Liverpool boys."
The view on exiting the shelter
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2473/3555302550_6eb0ee06bf.jpg
Don't look down!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3376/3554500717_db4ac604d9.jpg
That's it for this one - thanks for stopping by.
Built as underground accommodation and medical facilities for serving the three gun 6" battery at Lydden Spout, work took place in 1941 by 681 General Company Coy, Royal Engineers. 681 were based at Northfall Meadow below Dover Castle during this period and also worked on the underground hospital there.
The main entrance to the shelter has long been backfilled and buried - access now involves a hair raising descent down the cliff face, followed by an equally hair raising ascent to the secondary entrance. Thousands of tons of chalk balance precariously above the entrance, supported by nothing more than a couple of rotting beams and thin air!
Chalk falls have all but buried the sole surviving entrance
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3561/3555305778_f54d8e92b5.jpg
Once in - looking back to the entrance.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3555281978_722cc9885f.jpg
Once past the unlined sections, the shelter has a more familiar construction.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3554470677_de95d6f891.jpg
From then on it's just a case of exploring the layout.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3554466753_a3886b534c.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3558/3554454687_c50c905c20.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/3555268402_83422863ed.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/3554458269_d68f6256eb.jpg
Good to see that the ventilation trunking is still intact, even though it's come away from the ceiling.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/3555271254_dfd7f0e550.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3555257910_68f632c434.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3555254638_608594142b.jpg
Layout is similar to other deep shelters in this area - three flights of stairs led to the surface.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3555250844_50d5659f8c.jpg
What really marks this shelter out is the amount of wartime graffitti - here are a few samples:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/3554483077_6104c6a37e.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3554487121_17ceae7015.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/3554490877_8c8bcf7946.jpg
And this little poem obviously meant something at the time:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/3555287418_b161a6fe21.jpg
It reads:
"I must go down to Liverpool again,
To the Mersey's sea and sky.
And all I ask is a cargo and ship,
With a crew of Liverpool boys."
The view on exiting the shelter
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2473/3555302550_6eb0ee06bf.jpg
Don't look down!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3376/3554500717_db4ac604d9.jpg
That's it for this one - thanks for stopping by.