Fan Bay Deep Shelter and gun emplacement at The White Cliffs of Dover

Time to read:: 10 minutes

The interior of Fan Bay Deep Shelter in The White Cliffs of Dover in Kent, showing its arched corrugated steel construction — Looking into the officers' accommodation tunnel at Fan Bay Deep Shelter at White Cliffs of Dover, Kent, showing its arched corrugated steel construction | © National Trust Images/Chris Tapley

Built in just 5 months – from October 1940 to February 1941, the Fan Bay Battery, with its deep shelter and three, 6-inch guns, formed a potent part of Britain’s firepower in its attempt to thwart invasion during the Second World War. Following a mammoth volunteer and partner effort, you can explore one of the gun emplacements and magazines and take a guided tour the deep shelter and the two sound mirrors from an earlier conflict.

Visiting Fan Bay Deep Shelter and gun emplacement

Your visit includes a guided tour of the deep shelter where you can experience the living conditions endured by the soldiers over 80 years ago; and a self-guided tour of the Fan Bay No. 3 gun emplacement and magazine. You should allow approximately 90 minutes for your visit.

On production of your National Trust membership card or payment of the entrance fee, you will be issued with a hard hat and head torch, which is your 'ticket' for the duration of your visit. Child-sized hard hats and headtorches are available for younger visitors.

You will be allocated a tour time for the deep shelter on arrival. You can choose to visit the newly-excavated gun emplacement either before or after your deep shelter tour.

View the full Accessibility Guide for Fan Bay Deep Shelter on AccessAble.co.uk.

Views of the deep shelter and emplacement

Some of the features you'll be able to see when you take a guided tour of Fan Bay Deep Shelter.

Image of a guided tour descending the stairs into Fan Bay Deep Shelter, The White Cliffs of Dover, Kent — A guided tour descending the stairs into Fan Bay Deep Shelter, The White Cliffs of Dover, Kent | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

A guided tour descending into Fan Bay Deep Shelter

The staircase of 125 steps in three flights is the original concrete and steel structure that the soldiers would have used to enter the shelter. You can almost sense the relief that they would have felt as they rushed to take cover from shells from the German guns on the French coast, just 20 miles (32km) away, or the aircraft armed with machine guns and loaded with bombs, directly overhead.

A guided tour in one of the accommodation tunnels

Excavated by the Royal Engineers in the winter of 1940/1, the accommodation spaces contained the bunks where the troops would sleep when off-duty. You can feel the chill and the damp the soldiers experienced when in the shelter. The tunnels were supported with steel frames called colliery arching (colliery is another term for a coal mine) and were lined with mining-grade corrugated iron. The lining is held in place by the sheer weight of the chalk, packed above and to the side by the miners, to support the chalk above.

Image of a visitor to Fan Bay Deep Shelter examining one of the fossils in the chalk — Visitor to Fan Bay Deep Shelter examining one of the fossils in the chalk | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

Clam shell fossil

During your tour, look out for fossils in the chalk. This one, in the roof of one of the chalk passageways in the shelter, is a fossilised clam shell. Living on the seabed over 80 million years ago, this lovely specimen reminds us of the geological turmoil that has occurred since then. The fossil is now nearly 230ft (70m) above the sea. Look closely as you walk around and you may see some more. Look out too for the flints in the chalk - shining like black diamonds in the moist surroundings. They too began their existence on the seabed at the same time as the fossils.

Image of the 1917 sound mirror at Fan Bay, Kent. A later one, built around 1920 is shown below. The two Fan Bay mirrors, which were redundant by the Second World War formed a convenient platform for drilling of deep shelter's tunnels. — Image of the 1917 (northern) sound mirror at Fan Bay, Kent. | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

The sound mirrors

Built in early 1917, the northern mirror features in the diaries of the First World War as it detected an incoming air raid, potentially saving hundreds of lives. It was one of the first static sound mirrors to be constructed. Built of reinforced concrete, the mirror reminds us of the very early days of aviation and our efforts to detect incoming enemy aircraft without the use of electronics. The mirrors had a clear view out into the English Channel when they were built. The brickwork and soil in front of the mirrors now is from the Second World War structures, and their subsequent burial in the 1970s.

The plant room

After a serious condensation problem forced the soldiers out of the accommodation tunnels, a powered ventilation system was installed. The plant room, built in the winter of 1941/2, housed a heater and an electrically driven fan to force dry air into the tunnels, powered from a nearby engine house. Today, we use this room to welcome our visitors and you can see the original fan as well as photographs and plans from the Second World War and from our rediscovery project. Although it's not part of our guided tour, just ask one of our guides to show you around.

Image of a disused 6-inch gun emplacement showing the mounting bolts on a cloudy day — Fan Bay no. 3 gun emplacement | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

Fan Bay Emplacement no. 3

The emplacement was excavated in July 2023, having been partly demolished and covered over in the 1970s. The image shows some of the holding down bolts for the gun mounting, the gear plates for the aiming instrumentation and some of the bearing markings still visible on the gun-ring wall. During your tour you'll be able to enter the gun-ring and admire this feat of engineering completed in such a short time.

Image of a disused brick underground wartime storeroom used for cordite - the propellant for the Fan Bay shells — Fan Bay emplacement no. 3 propellant store in the magazine | © National Trust/Richard Meadows

Fan Bay Emplacement no. 3 propellant store

The shells fired by the Fan Bay guns did not incorporate their own propellant. Instead, this was loaded separately to reduce the weight of the shells. Called cordite, a derivative of nitroglycerine, the propellant looked much like spaghetti and would be stored in silk bags loaded with a calibrated quantity. The silk burned to almost zero residue making for faster reloading. The shelf supports in the storeroom can be clearly seen.

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Helpful advice

Both the deep shelter and nearby emplacement are approximately 40 minutes walk from the Visitor Centre at Langdon. When open, you may wish to park at the additional parking area which is only 15 minutes from Fan Bay and the lighthouse. There are signposts and a map on the gate at the additional parking area. Here is a downloadable map to help you choose your route. We're sorry - there is no vehicle access to the deep shelter or emplacement.
Tickets are sold at Fan Bay Deep Shelter on a first-come-first-served basis and we cannot reserve places on specific tours. You can pay by cash or card at the tunnel entrance. National Trust members with valid membership cards can tour for free but must check-in at the deep shelter first. The ticket price or membership includes the self-guided tour of the emplacement and magazine, together with a short introductory talk and safety briefing and a guided tour of the deep shelter. We're sorry, these tours are not available separately.

Please check our opening days, prices and times on the White Cliffs home page before travelling.
Guided tours of the deep shelter normally start every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour from 11am, last tour at 3pm. The self-guided tour of the emplacement lasts approximately 20 minutes. The deep shelter guided tour lasts approximately 60 minutes. In the deep shelter tunnels, our guides will ensure your safety, show you around, and tell you the story of the entire tunnel complex, together with the sound mirrors.

At the emplacement, a guide will brief you and you can then explore the emplacement, magazine tunnels and storerooms yourself.

We've tried to conserve the deep shelter and magazine tunnels as they were, so even in the summer, they are cool and damp, and the floor can be slippery in places - please take care. We'll provide you with a hard hat and head torch, and you’ll need sensible shoes with closed toes. No flip-flops, sandals, or high heels, please.

Full details of tour times and dates are on our home page.
The deep shelter tunnels and sound mirrors are accessed using the original staircase of 125 concrete steps, descending or ascending 23 metres (75 feet). The staircase has floor-level lighting and a handrail, and you’ll be encouraged to take the stairs steadily. If you are unsure about the staircase, please ask to see it before you decide to take a tour. The emplacement has two short staircases to enter and two steps to enter the gun ring, where seating is provided.

There will be a noticeable temperature change as you enter and leave emplacement magazine tunnel and on the deep shelter staircase. The emplacement tunnels and storerooms are lit and have emergency lighting. The deep shelter tunnels are unlit, but your head torch will give an adequate level of lighting.

Most of the tunnels provide enough height and width to enable upright walking throughout the tour, although some crouching down is needed in a couple of short sections in the deep shelter, particularly if you are tall. The emplacement magazine tunnels are approximately 2m high and no crouching is needed unless you are very tall.

Please ensure you take any medication you may need on your tour. If you feel uncomfortable or unwell at any stage, just let your guide or any of our volunteers or staff know and we'll help.
Assistance dogs only are welcome at the deep shelter and emplacement tunnels. Please be aware that some dogs can become unsettled in the tunnels due to the enclosed, dark surroundings and unfamiliar sounds and smells.

We're sorry - our staff and volunteers cannot look after your dog while you are in the tunnels. You can take your dog into the outdoor section of the emplacement and a member of your party can wait with your dog at the surface level of the deep shelter, or they can proceed to the lighthouse, where there are dog-friendly picnic benches. We provide drinking water bowls for dogs at the deep shelter.

Our tours are child-friendly. We must cater for everyone on the tour and very young children may find the stairs challenging and some of the presentation content difficult to absorb. We advise a minimum age of 8 years. We have a number of child-sized hard hats and head torches for their protection. It is not possible to carry babies or very small children into the deep shelter, owing to the risk of injury, should a fall occur on the staircase.
We're sorry, there are no toilets or catering at the deep shelter or emplacement. We recommend using the toilets at the White Cliffs visitor centre before setting out. If you are using the additional parking area, we suggest you may wish to use the toilets at South Foreland Lighthouse just over ½ mile (1 km) away, before visiting Fan Bay. We can top up your drinking water bottle at the deep shelter on request. Drinking water bowls for dogs are provided at the deep shelter.

Visiting Fan Bay Gun Emplacement no. 3

As part of your Fan Bay experience, come and celebrate the rediscovery of this important historic artefact, which is now being conserved. Hear the story of how the gun battery was constructed and used during the Second World War. You can marvel at this feat of engineering that took under 5 months to build; see where the gun was mounted, and explore the magazine tunnel and underground rooms where the ammunition was stored.

Emplacements 1 and 2, to the southeast of emplacement 3, were almost identical but were damaged more severely during the 1970s work to eliminate the relics of war from the cliffs, and have been left largely undisturbed. Emplacement no. 2 gun ring has been left exposed to give perspective to the site but no further excavation is planned. You can see this from the road approximately 50m from emplacement 3. Emplacement no. 1 is not visible.

One of our guides will give you an overview of Fan Bay at the emplacement and will deliver a short safety briefing, which will cover the emplacement and the deep shelter.

Visiting Fan Bay Deep Shelter

You'll descend the 125 steps into the shelter for your guided tour, 23 metres underground. Your knowledgeable and friendly guide will show you wartime depictions of the scenes within the tunnels and artefacts and graffiti left by the soldiers and those who followed. You can look at the vain attempt at dismantling the shelter by the scrapman and admire the fossils in the chalk. Halfway through your tour you will emerge into daylight to see the two sound mirrors – relics of an earlier conflict. You'll complete your tour by going back underground, through the longest tunnel in the complex, before you climb the stairs and head back into daylight once more. Take a seat on one of our benches to get your breath back!

Image of a National Trust guide explaining a picture of the tunnels during wartime to visitors at Fan Bay Deep Shelter — A National Trust guide explaining a picture of the tunnels during wartime to visitors at Fan Bay Deep Shelter | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

The Fan Bay sound mirrors

With Louis Bleriot’s epic flight across the channel in 1909, the Dover Strait no longer offered our island nation security from attack. During the First World War, Britain came under aerial bombardment for the first time and new ways of protecting ourselves were needed.

The first static sound mirror experiments were conducted in 1915 using ‘dishes’ cut directly into chalk at a quarry site near Maidstone, Kent. These early attempts soon gave way to larger, more complex concrete structures, faced with smooth cement. Sound mirrors became relatively common around the south and east coasts of England coast from Hampshire in the south, to County Durham in the northeast. The first Fan Bay mirror was built in 1916/17, the other around 1920.

How sound mirrors work

Sound mirrors used a curved surface to concentrate the sounds generated by the aircraft’s engine, reflecting these into a funnel-shaped collector to which was connected a stethoscope. This increased the range at which the aircraft could be heard. A specially trained operator would listen intently for the distant noise and warn of a potential air raid, giving an estimate of height and bearing. Many lives were reportedly saved in the Dover and Folkestone area in 1917 by the earlier sound mirror.

Over a decade after the first mirror was constructed, the collector would be replaced by a sensitive microphone and the stethoscope by an electronic amplifier and headphones. The mirrors were superseded by radar in the late 1930s.

Visiting the sound mirrors

Your guided tour of Fan Bay Deep Shelter includes a visit to the two sound mirrors at Fan Bay. You can even try out the sound mirror effect for yourself on our specially designed platform.

Image of the southern sound mirror at Fan Bay Deep Shelter — The southern sound mirror at Fan Bay Deep Shelter | © National Trust/Richard Meadows

The history of the Fan Bay battery

From Churchill's speech, to the construction of the gun battery and the deep shelter. From their use during the Second World War and subsequent abandonment. From the demolition and covering over in the 1970s to the rediscovery and opening of the deep shelter and the subsequent unearthing of the plotting room and the gun emplacements. Find out lots more about the history of these almost forgotten, priceless relics of wartime, and how we rescued them on our special page 'A brief history of Fan Bay Battery'.

Captain Strange and Fan Bay

Visiting Fan Bay has become an even more exciting experience as a wartime leader of the battery has been brought to life by one of our dedicated volunteers.

Arthur Lionel Strange was born in Wolverhampton in 1920. He joined the army at 18 years old and was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in 1941. Strange took command of Fan Bay Battery in August 1944 and was promoted to Captain, Temporary Major. He remained in command at Fan Bay until early 1945.

Unfortunately, like the deep shelter, Captain Strange became somewhat forgotten and unknown. Fan Bay’s amazing re-discovery has led to a quest for knowledge of the site and its key role in the outcome of the Second World War.

Volunteer Gordon Wise as Captain Strange who commanded Fan Bay Battery from August 1944 until early 1945 | © National Trust/Duncan Wood

Meet ‘Captain Strange’

On selected days from March to October, Gordon Wise, one of our volunteers who led the excavation of Fan Bay Deep Shelter, helps to bring Fan Bay to life. Sporting an accurate replica uniform, Gordon enjoys sharing his wide knowledge of the history of the area with our visitors.

'Captain Strange' will be on duty on the following dates:

Saturday 23 August - At Fan Bay
Sunday 24 August - At Fan Bay

Saturday 13 September (Heritage Open Day - At Fan Bay or Wanstone Battery - please check website)
Sunday 14 September (Heritage Open Day - At Fan Bay or Wanstone Battery - please check website)

Saturday 27 September - At Fan Bay
Sunday 28 September - At Fan Bay

Saturday 25 October - At Fan Bay
Sunday 26 October - At Fan Bay

(end of season)

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Fan Bay Deep Shelter and gun emplacement at The White Cliffs of Dover

Visiting Fan Bay Deep Shelter and gun emplacement

Views of the deep shelter and emplacement

A guided tour descending into Fan Bay Deep Shelter

A guided tour in one of the accommodation tunnels

Clam shell fossil

The sound mirrors

The plant room

Fan Bay Emplacement no. 3

Fan Bay Emplacement no. 3 propellant store

Helpful advice

Visiting Fan Bay Gun Emplacement no. 3

Visiting Fan Bay Deep Shelter