Butt's Target, Plum Pudding Island, 3rd ed OS (1)

The site of a 19th century rifle range and butts identified from aerial photographs and mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. Traces of five firing points were visible as a series of linear banks set at 90m intervals extending E-W along the strip of low-lying ground between Birchington and Plumbpudding Island. The Butts - a larger embankment was located at the western end of the range with a lower embankement in front accommodating a line of targets in front of the butts. Aerial phtographs -RAF/106G/UK/1378 FV 7061 04-APR-1946 - suggest the main butts were reused during the early years or prior the Second World War, subsequently incorporated into the defences of the area and cut up by barbed wire obstructions and anti-landing ditches. All remains have been levelled. (1-2)

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1905-10, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 3rd edition: 1901-1912 (Map). SWX11833.

<2> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/106G/UK/1378 FV 7061 04-APR-1946 (Archive). SKE57101.

<3> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021 (Archive). SKE57110.