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Hougham Battery is a
Gatekeepers - the Guns of Dover in WWIIKent History ForumSubterranea BritannicaPhotos of West ShelterPlotting Room phots
{{coord , 51, 6, 26, N, 1, 16, 12, E, type:landmark_region:GB-KEN, display=title Forts in Dover, Kent Military history of Dover, Kent Artillery battery fortifications in the United Kingdom
Hougham Battery is a 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 ...
coastal defence battery built in 1941 between Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
and Folkestone
Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...
in southeast England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
It is on the cliff-edge between Abbot's Cliff and Shakespeare Cliff.
The battery was equipped with three 8-inch (203 mm) Mark VIII naval guns.
The complex was built in 1941 and manned by men of 520 Coastal Regiment Royal Artillery
The construction of the A20 in the 1970s caused most of the battery to be covered with earth, so little can be seen on the surface, though access is possible to the underground battery plotting room. Some of the observation posts on the cliff edge are also visible.
The batteries to the east and west of Dover were each designated as a fortress and each fortress had an underground plotting room from where the guns could be controlled.
At Hougham. there are No.1, No.2 and No.3 Gun emplacements.
The North Downs Way
The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in South East England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, through the Surrey Hills National Lan ...
(long-distance path) leads over Round Down (on the Dover Cliffs) between Folkestone
Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...
and Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
.
The path passes by several observation posts of the battery.
See also
*South Foreland
South Foreland is a chalk headland on the Kent coast of southeast England. It presents a bold cliff to the sea, and commands views over the Strait of Dover. It is centred northeast of Dover and 15 miles south of North Foreland. It includes th ...
- site of a similar battery east of Dover
* Samphire Hoe
Samphire Hoe is a country park situated west of Dover in Kent in southeast England. The park was created by using 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl from the Channel Tunnel excavations and is found at the bottom of a section of the White Cl ...
- country park at the foot of the cliffs
* Dover Strait coastal guns
References
External links
Gatekeepers - the Guns of Dover in WWII
{{coord , 51, 6, 26, N, 1, 16, 12, E, type:landmark_region:GB-KEN, display=title Forts in Dover, Kent Military history of Dover, Kent Artillery battery fortifications in the United Kingdom