Pitstone Windmill - Pitstone

 Pitstone Windmill

Date : October 2024

Location:  Pitstone

Public/abandoned : public 

This has to be one the most cutes windmills i have ever seen , it so tiny yet so cool to see, sadly it was not open as it only on set days ot the year and it also national trust the windmill it self i extremely cool to see and also seem to be a hot spot fo people to take photos , as you can walk up to it at any time of the day . I'm gonna go back in 2025 to one the open days.

The windmill is Grade 2 listed and it is said that it was built around the start of the 17th century.

Old Scotney Castle - Tonbridge Wells

 

Old Scotney Castle 

Date: September 2023  

Location: Tonbridge Wells

Abandoned or Public : Public  

Delmoished: No

Since we had NT passes, we decided to visit Scotney Castle. We were not particularly interested in the manor house, so we went directly to the old castle ruins. We spent about 20 minutes observing the fish in the pond before exploring the ruins. We spent a full hour exploring the ruins and learning about their history., As we were heading back up to the carpark, we stopped off at the park. However, we were only there for about 15 minutes before the heavens opened up and it started to rain heavily. It's always important to check the weather before going out. 

This charming castle, built in 1137, is now in ruins and dates back to medieval times.

Between 1835 and 1843, a new manor house was built at the top and became known as Scontney Castle.

In 2007, the site owned by National Trust was opened to the public.

Fan Bay Deep shelter - Dover

 Fan bay deep shelter 

Date: August 2023 

location: Dover

Abandoned or Public: Public 

Delmoished: No 

Yesterday, we had a day without our daughter, as she was spending time with her grandad. We decided to take advantage of this and visit the Fan Bay deep shelter in Dover, which was the final exploration I wanted to do in this area. As National Trust members, we were able to take the tour for free, otherwise, it would have cost £10 per adult or £5 per child above 8 years old. We parked at the visitor center and enjoyed a 40-minute walk to the tunnels, taking in the beautiful views. When we arrived at the tunnels, we had to wait until 1:30 pm for our tour to start, as the previous tour was still ongoing. Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour enjoyable with his humor. The tunnels were well-maintained, and we highly recommend the tour if you have an hour to spare while in the area.

The history of Fan Bay Deep Shelter is quite fascinating. It was built within a span of 100 days and used by soldiers to take shelter. The bunker was constructed between 1940-1941 and was utilized in both World Wars. However, in 1950, the tunnels were abandoned and later in 1970, rubble was placed to prevent unauthorized access. In 2012, the National Trust acquired the land and restored the tunnels, making them accessible to the public.

 

D2 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery ( Wanstone battery ) - Dover March Open weekend

 D2 Heavy Anit - Aircraft Battery 

 Date:  March 

Location:  Dover 

Public or Abandoned: Open weekends 

Demolished: No 

Why on google I stumbled across Wanstone battery in Dover, having seen stuff online before I was interested in seeing the battery but didn't have a clue how to, after asking online I come to find out that there was an open weekend (25/26th march ), Other than it pouring down with rain most of the day it was a really good and interesting tour of the D2 heavy anti-aircraft battery and it also nice the fact they are brought back to life so people can visit it, so I recommend  keeping an eye out for open days 

So according to the NT website, the said is said to have first come around in the 1920s and was, the site was used in both WW1 & WW2 

the battery had a total of 4 gun battery 

it said that the site was manned by 233 men, 

The site would have 2 magazine rooms that would sit between each gun placement, 

it said that the site that held the 3.7in D2  was occupied until the end of 1945, 

and around late 1950 the site fell abandoned.  and the site was left to nature . 

the land was acquired by nation trust in 2017 and between 2017 & 2022 a total of £199,000 grant has been given to them via Nation lottery fun to do work on the site and bring it back to life.