Monument record MDO47677 - Second World War Coastal Defence/chain Home Low Station M73, West Cliff, Portland
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Summary
The site of a Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) radar station at West Cliff. It was built by the British Army to monitor shipping and aircraft during the Second World War. CD/CHL sites opened from 1941 and comprised a brick or concrete operations block with an aerial gantry mounted on the roof and a separate standby set house for the reserve power. Staff were billeted where possible, but some stations had a small layout of domestic hutting situated within one mile of the site. Aerial photography from 1968 shows that the station had been removed and the site was used for quarrying.
Map
Type and Period (3)
Full Description
RADAR STATION. From site list with letter. Isle of Portland. RAF Westcliff. Recorder- R. Perry. <1-3>
A Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low Station located at West Cliff (SY 683 726), called site M73. Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) radar stations were operated by the British Army to detect shipping and aircraft. CD/CHL sites opened from 1941 and comprised a brick or concrete operations block with an aerial gantry mounted on the roof and a separate standby set house for the reserve power. Staff were billeted where possible, but some stations had a small layout of domestic hutting situated within one mile of the site. <4>
Aerial photography from 1968 shows that the station had been removed and the site was a quarry. <5>
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SWX5 Digital archive: Council for British Archaeology. 1995. Defence of Britain Project. 2560.
- <2> SDO128 Machine readable data file: Council for British Archaeology. 2003. Defence of Britain Project Database. 2560.
- <3> SDO17227 Excavation archive: Council for British Archaeology. 2006. Defence of Britain Project Archive DEB01. 2560.
- <4> SDO12579 Monograph: Dobinson, C S. 1996. Twentieth century fortifications in England, volume 7. Acoustics and Radar: England's early warning systems 1915-45. 168.
- <5> SDO18992 Unpublished document: Anderton, Michael J. 2000. Twentieth century military recording project: World War Two radar stations. 63.
- <6>XY SDO14739 Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 1413230. [Mapped feature: #637484 ]
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
Location
| Grid reference | SY 6838 7253 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | SY67SE |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Other Statuses/References
- Defence of Britain database: 2560
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: SY 67 SE 200
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 1413230
Record last edited
Jan 2 2024 3:51PM