News

Was a great first day last Sunday with beautiful weather heralding a new open day season. We had 19 visitors from Tendring and beyond and look forward to meeting many more over the next few weeks.

Michael: Very interesting

Neil: Excellent & interesting

The Hemingway family: Kids liked seeing it / I liked the radar

Already looking forward to our next open day on Sunday 16th April between 11am and 3pm. Entry is free but donations towards the upkeep of this unique building are always welcome. Hope to see you there 🙂

The new open day season is nearly upon us. Starting on Sunday 2nd April 2023, we will be opening the tower between 11am and 3pm on alternate Sundays until the end of October.

We had a successful year in 2022 with 699 visitors, including a couple of group visits, so we hope to improve on that this year. We also collected almost £300 towards the upkeep of this historic and possibly unique building. Harwich RDF Tower is believed to be the only WWII Radar installation to still have its original array in situ.

Entry to the tower is free, but donations are always welcome. Children are encouraged to come along too, although under 16’s will need to be accompanied by an adult. Hope to see you there 🙂

Sunday 9th October was another successful day with new visitors from far and wide, Warrington being our furthest traveller this week. Some interesting questions and kind comments left in the visitors book.

Mark, Gill and Paul Didn’t know this was here. Interesting

Bev + Terri So interesting. Thank you. The guide made the history of the tower come to life.

Aaron & Miranda Very good local history site

After many years giving guided tours of various sites and local talks, it is always great to receive positive feedback and to know my enthusiasm hasn’t waned. Sadly, we only have one open day left in the 2022 season. Sunday 23rd October between 11am and 3pm will be the final chance to visit until spring 2023. Group visits and other Sundays may be available out of season (depending on availability). Please email me at [email protected] for further information 🙂

On Saturday 24th September we had a visit from Subbrit who spent a day with us in Harwich. The morning was shared between the Harwich RDF Tower and Harwich Redoubt before a well earned lunch break.

The afternoon saw us all in Beacon Hill Battery looking round the many structures that have survived from late Victorian, 1901, WWI and WWII. The battery retained its weapons right up until 1956 when it was finally stood down with the cessation of Coastal Defence.

Beacon Hill Battery will remain open throughout the winter every Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 4pm. This will be dependent on weather so please check availability before setting out if travelling from some distance away.

Some positive feedback received at the RDF Tower:

Zamojoa Family: Not expected at all !!! 🙂

G Ward: A lot more to see than I expected. The Harwich ‘Tardis’

Webb Family: A well kept secret ! Interesting

We have two more open days this year, Sunday 9th and Sunday 23rd October between 11am and 3pm. Free admission but donations welcome, hope to see you there 🙂

Following the sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen, the decision was made to continue with the heritage weekend, but keep it low key. The bunting was not put up, and Union Flags were flown at half mast when appropriate. A steady stream of visitors attended on both days despite the changeable weather Saturday. A total of 115 visitors from far and wide including Germany, Portugal and even Sydney, Australia.

Becky and Sean Very interesting. Good to see it open. Was great to learn about Harwich history and it’s relationship with WWII.

Don V. Interesting

James, Jane and Cormac (5) Very interesting Didn’t realise they had to manually push the aerial!

Our next open day is Sunday 25th September between 11am and 3pm.

Rest In Peace your Majesty, Long live the King

With the summer holidays upon us and lovely weather, we have been getting a steady flow of visitors during our open days. Many local residents are being joined by guests from all over the country. We also get visitors from Netherlands, Ukraine and even Tenerife.

Rachael: Impressive display + Rada [sic] Wow Big

George et al: Interesting/Impressive

Carrie, Andy, Ethan, Jacob: Fantastic place to educate children about their surroundings

We have a few more open days before the end of the season, including a two day event on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September. This is Heritage Weekend when all the historic sites in Harwich will be open including Harwich Redoubt, Beacon Hill Fort and Harwich Maritime Museum. Hope to see you there 🙂

On June 27th 2021, we opened our doors for the first time following a major refurb and we haven’t been disappointed with the response. As of June 26th this year, we have met 873 visitors during 20 open days, an average of 43.6 guests per day. We would like to thank all those who have visited over the past year.

Rob & Sue: “very good” thank you

Tadana & Derrick: Very interesting

Dave & Sandra: Interesting

We will be opening again on Sunday 24th July between 11am and 3pm. We also have a two day event in September when we open the doors for the Heritage Weekend event on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th, again between 11am and 3pm each day. Hope to see you there 🙂

Was nice to be able to sit in the sunshine to welcome visitors outside yesterday. A steady flow of visitors from the time we opened the gate until we closed, 41 in all. Coventry was the furthest this week, followed closely by Northampton and a lot of interesting questions. Still receiving positive feedback too:

Bernard O: Wonderful effort

Richard P: Fantastic exhibits

Christina P: Great! Well done

Still adding small bits each week, trying to build up a picture of what life would have been like serving in the RDF Tower. Been an interesting project so far and looking forward to opening again on Sunday 26th June between 11am and 3pm – Admission free, Donations welcome 🙂

A big thank you to all those who braved the weather this weekend and came to visit us at the Radar Tower. With four huge downpours between 11am and 3pm we were amazed that we had 38 guests. Some interesting questions and positive feedback.

Sarah S: Excellent-V. Detailed History of The Site

Yates Family: Very Interesting

Claire C: Surprising place, so much bigger than I imagined. Wonderfully restored

Once again we are looking forward to our nest open day on Sunday 12th June between 11am and 3pm. Hopefully it will be a bit drier 🙂

Bit quieter this weekend but so many interesting questions more than made up for the lower visitor numbers. More arrivals from the Netherlands and Germany were the furthest this week, but many locals still attending, many of which have never had the opportunity to visit the tower before.

John G: Impressed by extent of technical description – well done (ex Plessey & EMI Electronics)

Mr & Mrs Herron: Very interesting, great history to show my children.

Ron W: Excellent! very interesting, keep up the good work.

Next open day will be Sunday 29th May 11am to 3pm. If you would like to visit on another occasion or arrange a group visit we will try to accommodate as best we can, subject to availability. Look forward to meeting you soon 🙂