I did pop a quick search in but drew a blank so I'm not sure this area has been covered before or not.
Where I went isnt strictly off limits but some of it just isnt noticed by people anymore and left well alone.
So... a bit of history.
Shaldon may seem like quite a quiet little town (and I use the term losely) but during the war it was only a stone's throw from the heavily bombed Teignmouth. Both towns sat either side of the river mouth and became very important for defenses, especially after the Dunkirk incident.
From my understanding there were several groups posted/working here and they are mentioned on an info board which is on display near The Ness; a coast regiment and a home guard batalion.
The site was soon used not only for sea defenses but air defense too
~ I am sure quite some time ago I found a womens account of being evacuated to Shaldon as a child and she remembers German aircraft flying over and taking potshots at cows in the fields (and anything the moved) but I can't seem to find it now... typical
Anyway... I digress....
I got bored one weekend and got an itch to go out regardless of the weather (it was pouring it down and I had obviously run out of common sense that day) so here is a little documentation of what can still be seen
~apologies as I was only using a compact camera that day
*The cloud cover was very low and it was so wet... usually when you look across the river you can see far more of Teignmouth than this
*The searchlight building which is now used as just a public shelter (although there is some form of radar equipment on top?)
The searchlight had an output of about 210 million candles and was powered by two diesel generators in the engine house. These generators also powered a second searchlight a bit further down.
*Inside the searchlight building you can see across the river clearly... and now it is a not so cosy place to take the weight off your feet for five minutes
*Not sure if this has any relevance at all but yet to find out any more about it
*Overlooking the river mouth again is this... the location of a 4.7 Quick Firing Naval Gun (aparently of Japanese build) The gun was manned by a crew of 7 men
*The evidence of where the gun was mounted. it was within what was a brick and wood hut which camouflaged it
* The not-so-underground underground ammunition store, still in excellent condition today
*The enterance to the underground ammunition store which backs straight onto the coast road (which at this time of year is dead... unlike summer season) it is supposedly in such good condition as the coucil has used it as a store room in the past (no idea about now though)
*Just above the underground ammunition store is this... no where is it mentioned on the info board and after a bit of internet trawling I am still drawing a blank
*Scrabbling up into the woodland produced this one
*The engine house... hard to spot with all that undergrowth and easily missed if you arent looking for it. Luckily life was made easier thanks to the council clearing a lot of the undergrowth
*The engine house a bit more up close and personal
*The engine house all bricked up but the old black paint still hanging on in there (just)
*The engine house again. Although it is totally sealed there may be a way of at least seeing inside although I do think it will now just be a view of plant life which has taken over
There is loads more I took photos of but the poor light and pouring rain meant they really arent worth posting up. I am going back to do more documentation though and the area has raised a question that I am dying to get answered so I am sure I will have more to pop up another time
Where I went isnt strictly off limits but some of it just isnt noticed by people anymore and left well alone.
So... a bit of history.
Shaldon may seem like quite a quiet little town (and I use the term losely) but during the war it was only a stone's throw from the heavily bombed Teignmouth. Both towns sat either side of the river mouth and became very important for defenses, especially after the Dunkirk incident.
From my understanding there were several groups posted/working here and they are mentioned on an info board which is on display near The Ness; a coast regiment and a home guard batalion.
The site was soon used not only for sea defenses but air defense too
~ I am sure quite some time ago I found a womens account of being evacuated to Shaldon as a child and she remembers German aircraft flying over and taking potshots at cows in the fields (and anything the moved) but I can't seem to find it now... typical
Anyway... I digress....
I got bored one weekend and got an itch to go out regardless of the weather (it was pouring it down and I had obviously run out of common sense that day) so here is a little documentation of what can still be seen
~apologies as I was only using a compact camera that day
*The cloud cover was very low and it was so wet... usually when you look across the river you can see far more of Teignmouth than this
*The searchlight building which is now used as just a public shelter (although there is some form of radar equipment on top?)
The searchlight had an output of about 210 million candles and was powered by two diesel generators in the engine house. These generators also powered a second searchlight a bit further down.
*Inside the searchlight building you can see across the river clearly... and now it is a not so cosy place to take the weight off your feet for five minutes
*Not sure if this has any relevance at all but yet to find out any more about it
*Overlooking the river mouth again is this... the location of a 4.7 Quick Firing Naval Gun (aparently of Japanese build) The gun was manned by a crew of 7 men
*The evidence of where the gun was mounted. it was within what was a brick and wood hut which camouflaged it
* The not-so-underground underground ammunition store, still in excellent condition today
*The enterance to the underground ammunition store which backs straight onto the coast road (which at this time of year is dead... unlike summer season) it is supposedly in such good condition as the coucil has used it as a store room in the past (no idea about now though)
*Just above the underground ammunition store is this... no where is it mentioned on the info board and after a bit of internet trawling I am still drawing a blank
*Scrabbling up into the woodland produced this one
*The engine house... hard to spot with all that undergrowth and easily missed if you arent looking for it. Luckily life was made easier thanks to the council clearing a lot of the undergrowth
*The engine house a bit more up close and personal
*The engine house all bricked up but the old black paint still hanging on in there (just)
*The engine house again. Although it is totally sealed there may be a way of at least seeing inside although I do think it will now just be a view of plant life which has taken over
There is loads more I took photos of but the poor light and pouring rain meant they really arent worth posting up. I am going back to do more documentation though and the area has raised a question that I am dying to get answered so I am sure I will have more to pop up another time
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Let me know if you'd like to meet up for an explore over this way anytime. 
