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Trinity House Pilot Station was a Port Tower in Folkestone Harbour. It was designed by architect John Hill with structural engineers Andrews, Kent & Stone limited. The building existed from 1971 until its demolition in 2014.
Folkestone Pilot Station
Folkestone {{improve categories, date=September 2024 Towers in Kent Buildings and structures completed in 1971 Watchtowers 1971 establishments in England 1988 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures demolished in 2014
Trinity House Pilot Station was a Port Tower in Folkestone Harbour. It was designed by architect John Hill with structural engineers Andrews, Kent & Stone limited. The building existed from 1971 until its demolition in 2014.
History
The port tower was opened on 30th March 1971 as a port authority with a cost of £250,000 to build, overlooking shipping routes off Margate/North East Spit. It was regarded as a state-of-the-art operations center and rigged with the-then latest equipment such asTelex
Telex is a telecommunication
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communica ...
machines, radar
Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
and MF/ VHF radio. Inside the building was quarters, mess rooms, and a lounge for pilots
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they are ...
on night/morning shift work
Shift work is an employment practice designed to keep a service or production line operational at all times. The practice typically sees the day divided into shifts, set periods of time during which different groups of workers perform their ...
on standby with fast hot air convector ovens that could cook frozen rations within minutes.
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
visited the Trinity House port tower facility in 1977. She described the whirlwind visit as a way to pay tribute to the lighthousemen, lifeboatmen and pilots who make the sea safer for us.
Due to technological advances in fast launches, radar and communications, the Trinity House pilot station closed in September 1988. The building was later declared structurally unsound and beyond repair. Demolition took place in 2014.
References
External links
Folkestone Pilot Station
Folkestone {{improve categories, date=September 2024 Towers in Kent Buildings and structures completed in 1971 Watchtowers 1971 establishments in England 1988 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures demolished in 2014