PRESS RELEASE
14 September 2014
A historic First World War sound mirror is set to be uncovered by the National Trust on the White Cliffs of Dover after planning permission was granted this month.
Sound mirrors were one of the first early warning devices invented in the UK to give advanced notice of approaching enemy aircraft and were a precursor to radar technology. They were themselves a component of a larger network of observation posts which made up the first early warning system in the world – the London Air
Defence Area (LADA).
Recent archaeological surveys have confirmed that the First World War sound mirror, along with a second dating from 1920-1929, survives buried under Fan Hole on the iconic White Cliffs in Kent.
It was unknown if both sound mirrors had been demolished in the 1970s until they were rediscovered by the National Trust and local archaeologists on 3 May 2014.
Dating from approximately 1917, the First World War sound mirror is the oldest surviving in Kent and one of the earliest known operational sound mirrors to have survived anywhere in the UK.
Work to uncover the sound mirrors, currently buried under around 600 cubic metres of spoil, has now started and is expected to finish in early November. Uncovering the
15 and 20 feet high concrete lined structures, which is so technical that it’s classed as engineering works, will be undertaken by three archaeologists and a team of over
50 volunteers, with all spoil pulled up the steep sides of Fan Hole to be removed.
Once uncovered the sound mirrors will be assessed and any necessary conservation work undertaken.
Jon Barker, visitor experience manager at the White Cliffs comments: “With one dating from 1917 and the other being a slightly later prototype, the sound mirrors are a significant national discovery and we hope that visitors will be as amazed as us at their survival. To have rediscovered them both and to now be uncovering them is something which our team here will never forget”.
Records survive showing that the older of the two sound mirrors was in use during the First World War to detect incoming aircraft in 1917-18. The development of radar in 1935 put an end to sound mirror technology and many fell into disrepair. Those on the White Cliffs were eventually buried by the council in the 1970s as part of a campaign to clear up the local area.

The excavation work, which has the consent of Natural England, will restore native chalk grassland to the area, by removing the rubble and debris that was used to bury the sound mirrors, and has since prevented the natural habitat from thriving. The restoration project will initially result in some areas of bare chalk, but these will soon return to downland turf with its wide range of wildflowers, butterflies and other species.
Jon Barker adds : “During the feasibility study we discovered conflicting information about the survival of the sound mirrors with some records suggesting that they might have been demolished or tipped over. It was therefore very exciting when preliminary archaeological surveys showed that the top of both mirrors survive in relatively good condition. We are all very much looking forward to restoring a once prominent feature of this iconic landscape”.
Keith Parfitt, a local archaeologist from Canterbury Archaeological Trust, also comments: “I have known the area since I was a teenager and remember seeing the sound mirrors before they were buried in the 1970s. It is still a matter of deep regret to me that so much was demolished in Dover during this time, so it has been very rewarding to help the team at the White Cliffs rediscover the sound mirrors this year.
I am thrilled to see the work go ahead and cannot wait to stand on the landscape and admire the sound mirrors once they are fully exposed; they will be a real point of interest f or visitors”.
During the works, which are expected to take four weeks, members of the public are being asked to share any historic photos, video footage, anecdotes or memories of the sound mirrors, particularly from the Second World War or 1970s, with the
National Trust. Contact the local team at White Cliffs of Dover by emailing whitecliffs@nationaltrust.org.uk
or calling 01304 207326.
Both sound mirrors are located on land purchased by the National Trust in 2012 after a successful public appeal raised £1.2million in 133 days. The project to uncover them has been part funded by a Landscape Heritage Grant, given by the Heritage
Lottery Funded Up on the Downs Landscape Partnership Scheme. It has also been supported by donations from Subterranea Britannica an archaeological society which studies underground sites.
For more information on the White Cliffs of Dover or the sound mirrors visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover
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For further press information and images please contact:
Philippa Ellis, Marketing and Communications Consultant –
Philippa.ellis@nationaltrust.org.uk
Images
Images are available to download from the following link. Please credit as National
Trust / photographer’s name . Please only use to accompany this story. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vicm589oo1b56zd/AADhS_zZFBkKqhbgdy6ZGf3oa?dl=
0

Notes to editors:
About the White Cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover’s iconic high chalk cliffs look out onto the English Channel, giving far-reaching views towards the French coast. They have a special place in our national history and were used for defence in both World Wars. Reminders of this past can be seen all along the cliffs from the slit trenches dug by soldiers to the concrete remains of the range finding station. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover
About the National Trust
The National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 742 miles of coastline and hundreds of special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information and ideas for great value family days out go to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
For more information on National Trust events, please visit our website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events
About Heritage Lottery Fund
 HLF’s Landscape Partnerships (LP) are helping bring together members of the community as well as local, regional, and national organisations to deliver schemes which benefit some of the UK’s most outstanding landscapes and rural communities.
Grants range from £100,000 to £3million. The next closing date for LP applications is
May 2015 for decisions in October 2015

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the
UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost 35,000 projects with more than £5.6billion across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk

The Up on the Downs Landscape Partnership Scheme involves a range of partners working together. The Partnership prepared a detailed bid for funding following news from HLF in 2010 of an earmarked ‘first-round pass’ for a local partnership project under the HLF Landscape Partnership programme

For more information about the Up on the Downs Landscape Partnership Scheme, or on the range of projects that are now moving forward, please see the DDC website at www.uponthedowns.org.uk