BBRITAIN BENEATH
Stories and guides / 26

BRITAIN BENEATH · GUIDE · 8 OCTOBER 2026

Fan Bay’s Wartime Shelter: Sleeping 23 Metres Below Ground

Fan Bay had room for 154 men about 23 metres underground. The deep shelter protected the crews serving the coastal guns above.

Based on published records and visitor information. We have not visited these places.

AI-generated illustration

AI-generated illustration. Coastal barriers built to hinder vehicles. Imagined scene, not a real site view.

An imagined coastal defence shows barriers built to hinder vehicles. It is not an exact view of Pegwell Bay or a current walking route.

AI-generated for Britain Beneath · 2026-09-27. Resized and converted to WebP for faster loading; no cropping.

Shelter for the gun crews

Fan Bay’s gun crews had sleeping quarters about 23 metres below ground. The National Trust records space for 154 men in tunnels inside the cliff near Dover. The shelter gave them a place to rest away from shells and bombs.

Along Kent’s coast, other builders were preparing for invasion after Dunkirk in 1940. At Pegwell Bay, concrete obstacles were meant to stop vehicles, while protected gun positions covered the approaches inland.

These defences needed people as well as weapons. Fan Bay’s rooms show where crews could rest between duties. Today, a guided shelter tour offers a different view of the coast’s wartime work from the gun positions above.

Blocks and hidden guns

Pegwell’s surviving group includes low concrete blocks, taller cylinders and a pillbox. The low blocks are often called dragon’s teeth. They were meant to block vehicles. Guns in the pillbox, a small strong shelter, covered part of the bay.

The defence spread across the land. One map point cannot show all of it or prove a public route between its parts.

At Little Cliffsend, trees helped hide the eastern gun position. Its four-inch gun pointed along the shore. The position combined a view of the approach with cover from the surrounding landscape.

Sleeping below the cliff

Fan Bay’s sleeping tunnels were lined with corrugated metal and supported using methods familiar from coal mines. They gave the crews protected quarters inside the cliff.

Two older sound mirrors stand nearby. These concrete structures were designed to detect approaching aircraft by listening for their engines. They belonged to an earlier warning system, built before the deep shelter.

Digging the shelter out again

After the war, soil covered the shelter entrances and sound mirrors, and some structures were demolished. The National Trust later excavated and conserved buried parts before opening them to visitors.

The shelter opened to visitors in 2015. No.3 gun emplacement—the place where a coastal gun stood—opened in June 2025 after more digging and work to prepare it for visits.

Those openings apply to specific restored areas. They do not mean every nearby wartime structure is a visitor attraction.

What you can visit

At Pegwell Bay, follow the public country park and marked coast paths described by Explore Kent. Kent Wildlife Trust lists restricted saltmarsh and mudflat areas. Do not cross them to reach concrete remains. We have not confirmed entry to the pillbox or a public visit to Little Cliffsend’s gun house.

Fan Bay offers guided shelter tours, the sound mirrors and a self-guided visit to No.3 emplacement. Tour times are given on arrival. Check seasonal dates. Allow about 40 minutes to walk from the main visitor centre.

The shelter has 125 steps and no step-free access. Staff supply a hard hat and head torch. The operator asks for closed-toe shoes. Read its full access advice. When the tunnels close, an established cliff path still passes an information panel. Keep away from the cliff edge.

Use the listed visit and public paths; they do not open every nearby building. A shelter tour shows where the gun crews rested. The gun emplacement above explains the work they returned to.

Sources and further reading

Based on Historic England records, Kent Wildlife Trust and Explore Kent access advice, and National Trust history and visitor pages. These were checked on 26 September 2026. We have not visited or confirmed visitor arrangements directly with staff. Pegwell’s paths do not open every defence. Check Fan Bay dates with the Trust. Fan Bay is included for its related story; it is not a new record in our map. The 2 place records below give more information.

You can follow the links to read the original sources. Sources and permissions.

Places in this story

WWII

Pegwell Bay’s wartime beach defences

Near Margate

Researched guide · September 2026

Partial access · read details

WWII

Little Cliffsend’s eastern wartime gun house

Near Margate

Researched guide · September 2026

Access not confirmed