Month: August 2021

Sunday 29th August proved to be our busiest day so far. We had 74 visitors through the door, from Tunbridge, kent to Stevenage, Hertfordshire and everywhere between. Lots of interest and positive comments, so looking forward to meeting more people up to the end of October.

Catrina: Fantastic place to visit

S & M Bond: Very interesting

Doug: Very good information Kept in good condition

Our next open days are Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September between 11am and 3pm. This is Heritage Weekend when other landmarks in Harwich will be open too. Beacon Hill Fort next door is also well worth a visit and covers many years between 1890 and 1956. Hope to see you there 🙂

Following Banksy’s trip to East Anglia over the past few days, it seems he has now visited Harwich. His latest addition (yet to be proven 19.08) has appeared on the side of an historic building overlooking the river estuary between Essex and Suffolk. His latest canvas is the side of the Extended Defence Officers (EXDO) tower which was an important part in the WWII protection of Harwich and Parkeston. A pair of EXDO towers were installed, one each side of the river, to control the observation mines laid c1941.

If you are thinking about coming to Harwich to see this new work of art, why not pop in and see us in the Harwich RDF (Radar) tower to find out more about Harwich during WWII and how the EXDO tower fitted into the system of defence. We will be open again on Sunday 29th August between 11am and 3pm. Hope to see you there 🙂

The weather stayed kind to us today so we were able to welcome people as they walked up to the tower. A quick head count, note of postcode and a brief introduction and visitors are shown into the tower for a tour. Our furthest today came from Nottingham, so word is getting out about our great location 🙂 Some excellent feedback in the visitors book too:

Mick & Elaine: Very interesting

Elaine & Carl: Fantastic building, if only these walls could talk x

Dan & Jordan: Thank you for keeping this going & sharing. Great Job!!

Mara & John: enjoyed the experience well done on all your hard work 🙂

Looking forward to our next open day on Sunday 29th August between 11am and 3pm. If you are planning a trip to Harwich in September, we will be open for the Heritage Weekend open days on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th between 11am and 3pm on both days. Other attractions will be open too including Beacon Hill Battery, Harwich Redoubt, Maritime Museum and the Highlight (lighthouse). Hope to see you soon 🙂

July ended on a good note, and August began on another. Two back to back open days and a steady stream of visitors has made the hard work over the winter worthwhile. We introduced a visitors book on the 25th July and were pleased with some of the entries:

Dan, Amy, George and Benji – So cool! couldn’t believe the Radar! Very interesting.

Harry, Robert and Levene – Great place, love the radar, Thanks.

Dave, Ben and Alex – Very interesting.

The entries kept coming today too:

Tina and Bob – Very interesting.

Nikola and Gervaise – Absolutely fascinating! Incredibly well-maintained, very knowledgeable + friendly staff, Thoroughly enjoyed this visit.

A big thank you to all those who visited us today, and looking forward to out next open day on Sunday 15th August. Hope to see you there 🙂