Acoustic Mirrors

[tijuana taxi]

Here are the Acoustic Mirrors that were used before radar to warn of incoming hostile aircraft across the English Channel.
Basically worked on the same principle as an ear trumpet, in the later larger one there was a microphone linked to a control room.

Because of mindless prats vandalising and spraying them they had to be re-sited.
Now situated on an island in the middle of a flooded quarry on Dungeness Nature Reserve.
It is an RSPB site and a couple of times a year they open it to visitors via a pedestrian swing bridge to the island.
These were taken on one of the aforementioned open days last Saturday September 1st.

Part of our heritage, well worth a look for the fiver is costs to cross onto the island.
I believe they organise a photographers day for about thirty quid, if I lived nearer would probably give it a go





This is the largest of the three, approximately 200ft long and the visitors give a sense of its size

 

[JackBell]

How on Earth did they re-site those? must have been difficult AND expensive.

 

[Brian G]

There's a whole load of information about these here: https://theromneymarsh.net/soundmirrors
including information about "Photography Days" at the pricely sum of £42.49.
Not sure if I'd want to photograph them enough to pay that much.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Surely it would be easier to move the water channels than try to move the reflectors..
perhaps that is what they did. That whole area is shifting shingle beds, which were used for extraction until recently.
Even the power stations float on shingle, as does the light house which has no fixed foundation. It works like one of those rocking toys that you cant knock over.