Wooden tower, Kilnsea, coastal defences

[Jimthething]

As promised Rich, I've managed to find this old photograph which was sent me by a friend of mine and taken of him on his holidays in Kilnsea, East Yorkshire in 1958 (he is the small blonde haired lad in the foreground).

The site was still very much MOD then and my friend remembers the wooden tower which looks to be about 40-50 feet tall. A long line of tank traps are visible in the far distance.

Not sure of the exact location but I reckon it's at about the point where the land narrows at the beginning of the sand spit as the river is visible to the left of the picture and the sea in the distance to the right. There was a fairly large military installation here used in both world wars known as the Godwin Battery and if I had to guess I would say that the tower was a part of that.

There's more information on this website...
http://urbanrim.org.uk/Kilnsea.htm

 

[RichCooper]

Think its one of the gun director towers at godwin thanks for putting it up

 

[highcannons]

Does look like a director (optical) at the top...

 

[Jimthething]

Just had a look through your report on the Godwin Battery, some great pictures there, mate. That one of the 'melted' brickwork is fantastic - weird what the sea can do given time!
I'm amazed at myself for never having seen the place given that it's virtually on my doorstep! I have visited Spurn so many times over the years and I must have driven past it over and over again without knowing it was there. I have a bit of an aversion to caravan parks!
I will definitely be paying a visit while there's still some of it left to see. Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[night crawler]

Be good to see a photo from the same point now to compaire with. Like the photo though.

 

[RichCooper]

Be good to see a photo from the same point now to compaire with. Like the photo though.

I think that bit of land is under water now

 

[RichCooper]

Just had a look through your report on the Godwin Battery, some great pictures there, mate. That one of the 'melted' brickwork is fantastic - weird what the sea can do given time!
I'm amazed at myself for never having seen the place given that it's virtually on my doorstep! I have visited Spurn so many times over the years and I must have driven past it over and over again without knowing it was there. I have a bit of an aversion to caravan parks!
I will definitely be paying a visit while there's still some of it left to see. Thanks for the heads-up!

Yea its still worth a look while theres still some left and theres an infantry post behind the caravan park

 

[Jimthething]

I've had some more information from my friend regarding the tower. It was apparently made of concrete blocks, not timber (my bad).
This is the info he sent me...

"As I remember there were two towers, quite close to each other. They were built from large,concrete blocks with rusty steel/iron girders criss-crossing the outside. The ground floor windows were bricked-up so we used the girders to climb up and get in the next floor. At the top was a large room with a metal turret ring cast into the concrete floor facing a large opening where the gun barrel would have pointed out to sea - I'm guessing these guns would have been of a large calibre?"

 

[krela]

I've had some more information from my friend regarding the tower. It was apparently made of concrete blocks, not timber (my bad).
This is the info he sent me...

"As I remember there were two towers, quite close to each other. They were built from large,concrete blocks with rusty steel/iron girders criss-crossing the outside. The ground floor windows were bricked-up so we used the girders to climb up and get in the next floor. At the top was a large room with a metal turret ring cast into the concrete floor facing a large opening where the gun barrel would have pointed out to sea - I'm guessing these guns would have been of a large calibre?"

Large calibre guns in a breezeblock tower? I don't think so, they would have collapsed under the weight, and if not under the weight then under the recoil the first time the gun fired! Gun directors more like.

 

[RichCooper]

Definately the director towers one for each of the 9.2"emplacements

 

[Faing]

i believe the ciclar porton of this building contained range finding optics, the same set up was on bull fort and hail sand fort in the river.i also would like to see a presentday pic if poss.

 

[RichCooper]

i believe the ciclar porton of this building contained range finding optics, the same set up was on bull fort and hail sand fort in the river.i also would like to see a presentday pic if poss.

Nothing there but north sea now mate

 

[Jimthething]

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll pass it on to my mate. Anybody have any pics of what a gun director would have looked like? I'm picturing a range sighting type instrument with compass points on it.

 

[oldscrote]

Wiki got a load of pictures under gun directors but the bugger won't load through as a link.

 

[night crawler]

Nothing there but north sea now mate

There is a pillbox around though
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1515212
and road blocks.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/785961
and this be part of what we are talking about.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/304935
Mind you this could be what is left of the tower.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/388960
Looks like the place is worth a visit Rich

 

[RichCooper]

There is a pillbox around though
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1515212
and road blocks.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/785961
and this be part of what we are talking about.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/304935
Mind you this could be what is left of the tower.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/388960
Looks like the place is worth a visit Rich

[ame]http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=18793[/ame] Most of the blocks were moved down to Spurn as sea defences

 

[Munchh]

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll pass it on to my mate. Anybody have any pics of what a gun director would have looked like? I'm picturing a range sighting type instrument with compass points on it.

Wiki got a load of pictures under gun directors but the bugger won't load through as a link.

Try these.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M5_director.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M7_director.jpg

See what you mean about the load through though oldscrote. Main page doesn't load from the wiki link.

 

[Jimthething]

Wow, a serious looking bit of kit!

Looks a bit like the martian war machine off the old version of War of the Worlds!

Thanks for the links guys.

 

[oldscrote]

Try these.



See what you mean about the load through though oldscrote. Main page doesn't load from the wiki link.

Cheers for that Munchh thought I'd not put enough coal in the computer