Portland cement works, operated by Frost among others dating at least from c1833 on a site likely to have been used since the Roman era for lime burning. Traces of a bank of kilns probably dating from Frost's time have been found on site during redevelopment. The works were taken over by a partnership of Knight, Bevan and Sturge in 1851-3. By 1869 there were 17 kilns, 8 wash mills, slurry backs 500 feet by 120 feet and drying flats of 150 x 75 feet. John Knight lived at Hive House. In 1876 Thomas Bevan became sole owner. The quarry was south of Northfleet linked by a two feet eight and a half inch gauge tramway with a tunnel under the higher ground. The works became part of APCM in 1900 and were rebuilt 1903-7 and again in 1926-7 when it was equipped with the then largest size of rotary kiln. Chalk was moved to the works as a slurry by puimps, although by now there was a standard gauge rail link.
During the Second World War air raid shelters were adapted from an existing chalk tunnel and old kiln tunnels at the Cement Works, for use by the workers and their families in the event of air raids, recent excavations have revealed even more tunnels unfortunately due to houses being built they will soon be buried and demolished
site access was easy made even more so by the footpath now running up the middle of the site i have been here many times over the years from before housing was started gradually finding more and more tunnels finding the wagons was the last one left to tick off and last week finally I found it As far as i know i have done every tunnel there but who knows what else they will uncover while excavating the site
The large kiln shelters pretty much left how they where once the war was over sheets of metal still laying there with clothes on as a make shift pillow and cover to think people were sleeping on them while bombs dropped overhead
An old drink canteen left behind
Presumably a hand crank for the air system in the event the power failed
rules for children down in the shelter most likely the workers brought their families with them to work so they could use the shelters
another tunnel i call (the Hitler tunnel) lol
end of a small tunnel either side of an old mill building all that remains is the buildings outline on the cliff side
the fox tunnel
maintenance tunnel
the pipeline tunnel
oil tunnel (now buried)
cable tunnel
old tram tunnel
and finally the waggon tunnels
what looks to be a turntable to heavy to move but appears to have tracks on the otherside
If you got this far thanks for looking 😂
During the Second World War air raid shelters were adapted from an existing chalk tunnel and old kiln tunnels at the Cement Works, for use by the workers and their families in the event of air raids, recent excavations have revealed even more tunnels unfortunately due to houses being built they will soon be buried and demolished
site access was easy made even more so by the footpath now running up the middle of the site i have been here many times over the years from before housing was started gradually finding more and more tunnels finding the wagons was the last one left to tick off and last week finally I found it As far as i know i have done every tunnel there but who knows what else they will uncover while excavating the site
The large kiln shelters pretty much left how they where once the war was over sheets of metal still laying there with clothes on as a make shift pillow and cover to think people were sleeping on them while bombs dropped overhead
If you got this far thanks for looking 😂
