Fan Bay Deep Shelter is a series of tunnels constructed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as accommodation for Fan Bay Battery

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

, 23 metres down in the

White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover are the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, depo ...

at Fan Bay near the

Port of Dover The Port of Dover is a cross-channel ferry, cruise terminal, maritime cargo and marina facility situated in Dover, Kent, south-east England. It is the nearest English port to France, at just away, and is one of the world's busiest maritime pas ...

. The tunnels and gun battery were built by the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

between 20 November 1940 and 28 February 1941. The site is maintained by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. The tunnels are lined with corrugated steel arching and the complex originally included five large tunnels with storage space for bunk beds, rifles, a hospital and a secure store, a generator, toilets and washrooms. The gun battery was intended to attack enemy shipping moving through the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. The tunnels were abandoned in the 1950s and filled in with debris in the 1970s. In 2012 the tunnels were rediscovered by the National Trust after purchasing this section of the cliffs. The restoration work, carried over 18 months, included removal of 100 tonnes of rubble. The tunnels were opened to the public on 20 July 2015. Near the site are two World War One

sound mirrors ''Sound Mirrors'' is the fifth studio album by Coldcut. It was released in January 2006. Four singles were released from the album including the Top 75 hit "True Skool" with Roots Manuva. Track listing CD #" Man in a Garage" (featJohn Ma ...

References

External links

Fan Bay Deep Shelter
National Trust
National Trust blog for the Fan Bay Deep Shelter project
{{coord, 51, 08, 10.8, N, 1, 21, 37.55, E, display=title National Trust properties in Kent Military history of Kent Military history of Dover, Kent Military installations established in 1941

See also

References

External links