WWI Practice castellated trench system. Photograph (1).

Two lengths of castellated (rather than zig-zag) military trench identified on aerial photographs -RAF/106G/UK/1378 FV 7061 04-APR-1946 and Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 21-APR-2007 -within an area of intensive military defences in a strip of land between the railway and the north coast of Kent extending from Plumbpudding Island and Birchington - a low vulnerable point in the coastline.

Though different in form from the majority of the trenches seen, these probabaly date from the early part of the Second World War, but could be earlier.

Two sinuous ditches of uncertain date (seen in Google Earth imagery dating to March 2022) lie roughly parallel to the castellated trench on its north-west side and may be a related part of the defence system. (1-3)

<1> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/106G/UK/1378 FV 7061 04-APR-1946 (Archive). SKE57101.

<2> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 21-APR-2007 (Archive). SKE57110.

<3> Google.Com, 1960-2023, Earth.Google.Com orthophotography, EARTH.GOOGLE.CO, 3/2022 ACCESSED 20-MAY-2024 (Archive). SKE57111.