Visited With Monk and The126
This has been on my list for a very long time but with the access problems I didn't think it would ever happen.
In 1941 the Royal Navy constructed a complex of tunnels 66ft underground, this housed a control centre which plotted all shipping traffic in the English Channel between Dungeness and Selsey Bill. This filled the gap between Dover (Dumpy) and Portsmouth (Fort Southwick).
As there were no above ground fortifications in the area (unlike Dover) the Navy based the site in the former Guinness Trust Holiday Home grounds utilising the main building as the entrance to the bunker. Pill boxes were also constructed accessed from the bunker to defend the site.
HMS Forward was decommissioned on 31 August 1945.
In 2000 English Heritage declared HMS Forward as a site of National Importance.
The Guinness Trust house (now demolished)
The entrance to the tunnels that would have come from a room in the house.
Looking down the main access stairway to the grenade pit at the bottom, note the machine gun loop in the wall.
Close up of the pit and the loop.
The reception area taken from a stairwell which lead to a observation lookout disguised as a chicken coop.
Backfilled lookout.
Airlock at the bottom of the second flight of stairs.
Original airlock door
The main bunker consists of two long rooms interlinked with passageways.
One of the main Rooms.
The other main room with smaller areas built within. These were used as Mess Rooms, etc.
Interlinking passageway.
Telecom area, the floor was dug out due to the size of the machines installed.
A corridor than leads off the above areas to another airlock. Here two more tunnels lead off to four of the Pillboxes.
Leading up to the Pillboxes, note that there's no stairs....
To bottom of the access shaft to the Pillbox, all four looked pretty much the same.
Plant room.
Toilets
This is the final corridor which feels like to goes on for miles and leads to another entrance.
Guard room at the end of the tunnel, note another firing loop.
I have many more photo's but think that will do....... ok, just a few more.
Massive thanks to Monk, I never thought this would happen and had forgot all about the place. I hope the owners get to do something with the place as it could be a valuable attraction to the area.
Thanks for looking
This has been on my list for a very long time but with the access problems I didn't think it would ever happen.
In 1941 the Royal Navy constructed a complex of tunnels 66ft underground, this housed a control centre which plotted all shipping traffic in the English Channel between Dungeness and Selsey Bill. This filled the gap between Dover (Dumpy) and Portsmouth (Fort Southwick).
As there were no above ground fortifications in the area (unlike Dover) the Navy based the site in the former Guinness Trust Holiday Home grounds utilising the main building as the entrance to the bunker. Pill boxes were also constructed accessed from the bunker to defend the site.
HMS Forward was decommissioned on 31 August 1945.
In 2000 English Heritage declared HMS Forward as a site of National Importance.
The Guinness Trust house (now demolished)
The entrance to the tunnels that would have come from a room in the house.
Looking down the main access stairway to the grenade pit at the bottom, note the machine gun loop in the wall.
Close up of the pit and the loop.
The reception area taken from a stairwell which lead to a observation lookout disguised as a chicken coop.
Backfilled lookout.
Airlock at the bottom of the second flight of stairs.
Original airlock door
The main bunker consists of two long rooms interlinked with passageways.
One of the main Rooms.
The other main room with smaller areas built within. These were used as Mess Rooms, etc.
Interlinking passageway.
Telecom area, the floor was dug out due to the size of the machines installed.
A corridor than leads off the above areas to another airlock. Here two more tunnels lead off to four of the Pillboxes.
Leading up to the Pillboxes, note that there's no stairs....
To bottom of the access shaft to the Pillbox, all four looked pretty much the same.
Plant room.
Toilets
This is the final corridor which feels like to goes on for miles and leads to another entrance.
Guard room at the end of the tunnel, note another firing loop.
I have many more photo's but think that will do....... ok, just a few more.
Massive thanks to Monk, I never thought this would happen and had forgot all about the place. I hope the owners get to do something with the place as it could be a valuable attraction to the area.
Thanks for looking