Monument record TQ 77 SE 1526 - 20th century clay pit, Hoo St Werburgh

The earthworks of a large twentieth century clay pit can be seen on aerial photographs taken in 1947. This clay pit was situated to the southeast of Hoo St. Werburgh and was linked by a tramway to the brickworks south of the village (NMR 1545288). No clay pit is depicted by the Ordnance Survey in the 1930s although the tramway that served the clay pit to the west (NMR 1545421) did continue eastwards suggesting that some extraction was underway by then. The 1947 air photos show that eastern half of the clay pit was overgrown and it may be that it had been abandoned by this date. This is also suggested by the fact that the tramway that served this clay pit had been lifted by and re-laid by 1947 and the new course clipped its southern edge. This linked to another clay pit to the east near Abbots Court (NMR 1546812). Aerial photographs show that much of the interior had been converted to arable by 2007, although the western edge can still be made out and is largely covered with trees and scrub. This site was mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project.(1-3)

<1> RAF, 1947, RAF CPE/UK/1923 4095-4096 16-JAN-1947 (Photograph). SKE56024.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1928-1947, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 4th edition 1928-1947 (Map). SKE12644.

<3> Next Perspectives, 2007, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: TQ7871 21-APR-2007 (Photograph). SKE59168.