Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 2071: summary

Historic building recording of two air-raid shelters at Buckland Mill, Crabble Hill, Dover, Kent, CT17 0SU:July 2024
by Sarah Veasey

Date report completed: August 2024
Location: Buckland Mill, Crabble Hill, Dover, Kent, CT17 0SU
Map reference(s): TR 30444 42872
File size: 4,096 kb
Project type: Historic building recording
Significance of the results:
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Summary. A programme of historic building recording was carried out by Colchester Archaeological Trust on two air-raid shelters in the grounds of Buckland Mill, Crabble Hill, Dover, Kent in July 2024. The shelters were constructed in 1939 for use by the mill workers, but it seems that after a Spitfire crash caused the closure of the mill, they were subsequently used by the public. The structures comprise a series of arched I-beams (known as Colliery Arches) set into a concrete plinth and covered with corrugated iron. Both shelters had an entrance projecting to the south-west, which comprised a set of poured concrete steps. The arches used in the construction of the shelters mirror those used in the parts of the network of secret wartime tunnels beneath Dover Castle as well as The Deep Shelter at Fan Bay Battery.