During a small open area excavation carried out by Kent Archaeological Projects at District Park Manston, two linear features were investigated in the northern part of the site. They formed part of a rough ‘T-Junction’ of a trench structure that extended for at least 15m to the west, where its probable continuation was exposed in an exploratory trench cut as part of the associated evaluation of the District Park development area. Cut down to a maximum exposed depth of 1.25m at the western edge of the open-area investigation, both of the intercutting trenches were considerably shallower to the east and sloped down evenly to achieve the maximum depth, suggesting they were entrances into the trenched structure. Metal finds within their backfills, including frequent heavily corroded barbed wire fragments and the rimmed base of a cartridge head, suggest that the structure dated to the Second World War, probably as part of defensive structure surrounding Manston Airfield. (1-2) (information summarised from source)

Trenches and two gun emplacements forming a defence work of Second World War date were visible as cropmarks and earthworks in NMR 2134/1094 26-APR-1983 and RAF/HLA/564 V 6019 01-JUN-1942. The eastern-most length or slit trench articulated with the remains of the First World War semi-sunken hangar that stood on Manston Road. Some possibly First World War trenches in the north-west area of the trench network may in fact date to this Second World War defence work (MKE125397).

Most of the extensive trench network had already gone out of use by the time of this aerial photography and the elements that stood as earthworks at that time were recorded as levelled earthworks in Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021. These features were mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (3-4)

<1> Kent Archaeological Projects, 2023, Archaeological Investigation Area 1, District Park, Manston Road, Margate, Kent Ct9 4lz (Unpublished document). SKE56956.

<2> Kent Archaeological Projects, 2023, Report of an archaeological investigation by open-area excavation prior to development on the site of Area 1, District Park, Manston Road, Margate, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE56398.

<3> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, NMR 2134/1094 26-APR-1983 (Archive). SKE57106.

<4> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/HLA/564 V 6019 01-JUN-1942 (Archive). SKE57101.