Tag: Beacon Hill

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 🙂

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 🙂

On the 6th April I was lucky enough to be interviewed on BBC Radio Essex to highlight the Radar Tower in Harwich, Essex. A small part of the war effort but an important early step in a system that is still widely in use to this day. Radio Direction Finding, as the British called it, became better known as RADAR. This was the American term that has become better known over the years. The system was being developed in 1935 at Bawdsey Manor in Suffolk so when the tower opened in April 1941 it was one of the first uses of land based RADAR in the world.

The tower will be open on Sunday 15th May between 11am and 3pm and entry is free. All donations will go towards the restoration of the tower and other historic structures opened on behalf of the Harwich Society. We open every other Sunday until the end of October. Hope to see you there 🙂

May 1st, nice bright but chilly day, and a lot of interest in the RDF tower. 49 visitors through the door and some very interesting questions. Also our furthest visitor today, one which will be hard to beat. Last year our furthest was from Perth, Scotland. Today they came from Perth, Western Australia! We also had a guy from Poland and two groups from the Netherlands. News of the tower is clearly going beyond Tendring.

Viv & Colin – Amazing. Particularly appreciated the ‘What can you see?’ board

Mavim (?) – Ciekawe (Polish) Interesting (English)

Nick – Fantastic presentation of our history

It is great to get such positive feedback each week and it encourages us to continue researching and presenting this fascinating building. We open again on Sunday 15th May, 11am to 3pm. Hope to see you there 

Thank you to the 30 visitors who came to see us at the tower today, despite local road closures due to the half marathon. The weather was on our side and we enjoyed meeting you all. Our furthest party came all the way from Northampton, so nice to know people are hearing about us.

Wicks family: Lovely to be interactive with WW2!

Case family (clan): Very interesting

Jones family: Interesting and great to be able to get inside, thanks

We will be open again on Easter Sunday, 17th April between 11am and 3pm. Group bookings can be made via our contact page (subject to availability). Hope to see you there 🙂

We are almost at the end of our 2021 season with one more open day on Sunday 31st October between 11am and 3pm. Our open day on Sunday 17th was well received with positive feedback and visitors from Stevenage, Chelmsford and South London.

Sue & Family: Great Stuff

Lawrence: Every day is a school day and I have learnt something new.

T Williams: Very historical and educational. Everything is saved 🙂

For our first season running this fascinating building we couldn’t have asked for a better reception. Plenty of visitors and positive comments make it all worthwhile. We have a few projects over the winter so hopefully adding a few more bits before opening again in 2022. Dates have not been confirmed yet due to the ongoing issues but we will let everyone know ASAP. See you there Sunday perhaps? 🙂