Can You Identify These Structures Please?

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by ww2ni, Feb 12, 2017.

  1. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    Folks,
    I am hoping you can tell me what these large concrete structures were used for.
    They are very near an old Chain Home Station - So much so that i suspect they may have been part of the complex - All of this is shown in the first aerial photograph.

    The two remaining buildings, along with the bases of 3 or 4 others on the right as well as the square building in the centre all appear to have been part of the chain Home System.

    My interest is with the 9 or 10 large concrete structures which can be seen on the left of the aerial photograph.

    These are large walls - the second picture shows a telegraph pole in the background which will help with scale.

    This location is at Blackhead on the coastline overlooking the Irish Sea and the northern approaches to the U.K. Ports during WW2.

    Any information would be very much appreciated. blackhead aerial.jpg Concrete.jpg
     
  2. chick42-46

    chick42-46 Senior Member

    Interesting. Don't know what these are but the fact they are different heights but the tops seem to be at the same level suggests they are a support for something. What, though, I don't know. They look very substantial for holding up cables (and would cables need to be level?). The fact there seems to be two protrusions on top suggests rails, perhaps. But why only this short section of supports?
     
  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Could it be supports for rails then a gun mounted on them?? would provide a large angle of operation

    TD

    edited to add:

    Perhaps as mentioned another site bases for radio or radar equipment that need to traverse??
     
  4. RAFCommands

    RAFCommands Senior Member

    Blackhead was a tri service (army) build CD/CHL station. Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low using gantry aerials rather than tall masts of Chain Home

    The area to the right shows the typical rec op block/trans op block and standby set house. Normally associated smaller structures of guard posts etc have either been obliterated or obscured by nature.

    The pillars on the left are not part of the normal structures for a west coast CD/CHL station and would appear to be legacy structures associated with narrow gauge transfer/tipping from a mine shaft or adit.

    edit - this is wagonway but rail head is same basic design
    http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/...large/3BA32A8A-954C-57B6-815BDC7F14C28E38.jpg

    Ross
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2017
  5. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    What it is I have no idea.
    Originally there were three sets of 4 blocks set out as a widened U.
    If it was intended for something to traverse along it then surely it would have been built in a semi circle.
    At one time the part hedge at the side ran right across the field.
    the bottom part hedge also may have been right across the field, bur had been taken away earlier then the top one.
    If you stood in the gateway of the field in Mccraes Brae you would on see the bottom hedge.
    Those standing at the site may a good view of Bangor and see the isle of Man.
    If it had been narrow gauge transfer/tipping from a mine shaft or adit then, where is the mine also would these not be in a straight line to the tipping point?

    https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...ed90f2!8m2!3d53.8276917!4d-4.4658366?hl=en-GB

    Really interested in knowing what it was used for.
     
  6. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Looking at the aerial view, they appear to be two short straight runs of pillars with a couple more forming a very short additional straight run to plan North East. Angular in appearance rather than part circle.

    Edit: just had a look on iPad maps app, and they appear to be three sets of four pillars with the top two hidden from obvious view but showing as marks on the ground (covered in vegetation?)
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2017
  7. jimbop

    jimbop Banned

    a base for one of those listening dishes?
     
  8. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    A good guess but how many German planes would be coming from Iceland and Greenland?
     
  9. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Could be coincidence but the four south pillars point down the Lough, the central four point straight out to sea and the northern four? point out to more open water. Could it be something to do with visual observation?
     
  10. jimbop

    jimbop Banned

    the sneaky ones!!
    then again why have guns and searchlights at the same locations?
     
  11. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    To shoot at those that came from Norway or channel isles and North France.
    As Northern Ireland was at the extreme limit of range for these aircraft they could not do a big detour out into the Atlantic.
     
  12. jimbop

    jimbop Banned

    only just spotted ross's post. id wager hes napped it, chain home low station with those pads mounting some radar system pointing towards the northern approaches.
     
  13. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    Guys,
    This has been a mystery to me for some time.

    My own thoughts are that it could have been some mast array connected to the Radar System.
    Geographically this would cover the various Convoys coming in to the Irish Sea and on to the various Ports.

    Thanks very much for your efforts.

    Andy
     
  14. RAFCommands

    RAFCommands Senior Member

    Chain Home was the type that used the tall masts for receiver and transmitter (four and three masts each). They were only for east and south coast where the height was needed to give the 80+ mile range.

    Chain Home Low and Coastal Defence were a different device and design to CH more like the small radar dish you see at aerodromes today.

    CHL/CD gantry aerials would fit within the footprint of the surviving buildings. In most cases they actually sat on the building roof.

    This is a surviving west coast design building with the rusting support gantry on the roof
    Chain Home Low - Wikipedia

    A period photo
    chain home low - Google Search:

    So these pillars you are asking about have a scale/location that have nothing to do with the CD/CHL radar site.

    I also doubt any co location of defence equipment army/navy or raf due to interferrence negating the operation this west coast design low vision/range CD/CHL system.

    Ross
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2017
    jimbop likes this.

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