| Summary : The site of a Royal Air Force Chain Home radar station at Kingsdown Tail, Branscombe, established by April 1941. Chain Home stations provided early warning of enemy aircraft approaching Britain during the Second World War. A standard station comprised transmission and receiver blocks, four 240ft timber receiver aerial towers, four 350ft steel transmitter aerial towers that stood on concrete pads, and other buildings such as dispersed accommodation huts, guard huts and standby set houses. From 1940 defensive measures were installed at radar stations, including Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pill boxes, road blocks and air raid shelters. The majority of the Branscombe site survives, including a receiver block at SY 1680 9024, bunkers at SY 1675 9010 and SY 1683 9017, and an operations building at SY 1706 9052. Other ancillary buildings remain, however there is no evidence of the aerial bases surviving. |
More information : RADAR STATION. SRF, with location plan and aerial photograph. SRF, with 11 photographs. No 13. Chain Home. West Coast type. Kingsdown Tail. NAAFI. Generator House. Recorder- B. Horner, and B. Taylor. (1)
A Chain Home radar station located at Branscombe (SY 168 901) established by 18-APR-1941. Chain Home stations comprised transmission and receiver blocks, four 240ft timber receiver aerial towers, four 350ft steel transmitter aerial towers that stood on concrete pads, and other buildings such as dispersed accommodation huts, guard huts and standby set houses. From 1940 defensive measures were installed at radar stations, including Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pill boxes, road blocks and air raid shelters. NGR given is for the location of the receiver towers. (2)
Chain Home station located at Branscombe, known as CH13. Aerial photography from 1946 shows that the aerial plinths were located at SY 1672 9028, 1684 9021 and 1668 9026, although there is no evidence of their survival on modern maps (there were no modern aerial photographs available). However, the majority of the site appears to survive. The receiver block survives at SY 1680 9024, a bunker at 1675 9010, two bunkers were situated next to each other at 1683 9017 one of which remains, an operations building at 1706 9052. Other bunkered structures survive at 1718 9062, 1737 9017 and 1749 9046. (3) |