Second World War defensive beach scaffolding visible along the beach at Broadstairs Harbour, mapped from military aerial photographs.

The beach scaffolding is in two sections along the entire length of exposed beach and measures nearly 400m and 100m.

The scaffolding is first visible and was mapped from aerial photographs taken in May 1942 [1] and is gone by April 1946 [2].

The lengths of scaffolding and barbed wire functioned as beach defences in order to impede the progress of enemy soldiers, vehicles or watercraft, and were extremely common features along the coastline of south-east England.

A transcription of the features recorded from aerial photography exists within a GIS layer held by this HER [3].

Second World War beach scaffolding is visible as a structure on RAF/HLA/347/3 10 30-MAY-1942. The feature was mapped as part of the Thanet Landscape Mapping Project. (4)

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2009-10, South-East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey - Aerial Photographic Transcriptions (Digital archive). SWX15705.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey - (SE RCZAS) Phase 1: National Mapping Programme Report (Unpublished document). SKE25955.

<3> Cornwall Council Historic Environment Projects and Gloucestershire County Council, 2011, South East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Components 1&2: Results of NMP Mapping (Unpublished document). SKE25954.

<4> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/HLA/347/3 10 30-MAY-1942 (Archive). SKE57101.