Hougham Battery
Encyclopedia
Hougham Battery is a World War II
coastal defence battery built in 1941 between Dover
and Folkestone
in southeast England
.
It is on the cliff-edge between Abbot's Cliff and Shakespeare Cliff.
The battery is 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
(long distance path) leads over Round Down (on the Dover Cliffs) between Folkestone
and Dover
.
The path passes by several observation posts of the battery.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
coastal defence battery built in 1941 between Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
and Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
in southeast England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is on the cliff-edge between Abbot's Cliff and Shakespeare Cliff.
The battery is equipped with three 8-inch (203 mm) Mark VIII naval guns
BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun
The 50 calibre BL 8 inch gun Mark VIII was the main battery gun used on the Royal Navy's County-class heavy cruisers, in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. This treaty allowed ships of not more than 10,000 tons standard displacement and with guns no larger than 8 inches to be...
..
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
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
(long distance path) leads over Round Down (on the Dover Cliffs) between Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
.
The path passes by several observation posts of the battery.
See also
- South ForelandSouth ForelandSouth 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 northeast of Dover and 15 miles south of North Foreland...
- site of a similar battery east of Dover - Samphire HoeSamphire HoeSamphire Hoe is a new part of Kent, United Kingdom, consisting of reclaimed land made from 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl dug to create the Channel Tunnel, deposited on the seaward side of the famous White Cliffs of Dover. It is accessible by the public via single-track tunnel controlled by...
- country park at the foot of the cliffs