Tag: Heritage Weekend

This years event was accompanied by two days of lovely autumnal weather, this meant there was a lot of people in Harwich exploring the areas rich history. At the Radar Tower, we welcomed 41 visitors on Saturday and an impressive 67 on Sunday. We spoke to people from far and wide including Northampton, The Netherlands and even Melbourne, Australia.

E Ryan & S Hunter: Interesting very informative

Amy: Fantastic and my children absolutely loved it…lots of questions asked

Jodie & James: Amazing! So Cool

It’s always educational speaking to visitors during our open days. Most are interested in history and some are surprised how successful Radar was in it’s early days. We also had a visitor who actually made parts for one of our exhibits, a new artefact we received last year, known as a ‘Huff Duff’. This was a high frequency (radio) direction finder, used to locate downed airman and enemy submarines. We still have open days left for 2024 so if you haven’t been along to see us, there’s still time before we close for the season at the end of October. Hope to see you there 🙂

The season has picked up a bit over the past few open days. Visitor numbers are down on last year but donations are almost the same, so thank you for your kind donations if you have come along to see us. We still have several dates before we close for the season, including Heritage Weekend when we will be opening Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September, 11am to 3pm.

S Webb: Excellent displays, really interesting facts

Sue and Eddie: It was an enjoyable visit thank you

CO11 2QN: A fascinating insight into the history of the tower and it’s purpose

We have added a few more artefacts during the year and have been donated some interesting items that could have been used in the tower during WWII. We have met some great visitors during the year with some interesting conversations and insights into history. If you haven’t visited yet, we are open on certain dates until the end of October (please see our Open Day page). Group visits can be arranged, please contact us for further information. Hope to see you there 🙂

Two more successful open days this month with reasonable weather and attendance. Sunday 12th saw 46 visitors coming to see us and a further 29 on the 26th. Although numbers are slightly down on 2023, the positive feedback received continues. One of the difficult tasks when setting up the displays was to interpret a complex subject and make it interesting to all ages, something I believe we have achieved.

Darlene (Canada): Such a lot of history packaged in a tiny space!

Alex: Unique experience!

Sampson: Very interesting, many thanks

Radford family: Kids loved this. They have walked past for years and wanted to see inside.

Sunday June 9th is our next open day, 11am until 3pm, admission is free but donations are always welcome. Please come along and visit us at this unique location, one of the earliest applications of Radio Direction Finding (aka Radar) in the country.

We have swept and cleaned the tower ready for our new season, beginning at 11:00 on Sunday 14th April. A couple of new exhibits for this year include models of the Maunsell Forts located off the coasts of Essex and Kent. His Majesties Fort Roughs Tower can be seen from the middle floor of the radar tower, more commonly known today as the Principality of Sealand. This was home to Joan and Roy Bates from 1967 and is still owned by their son Michael.

Our other new model shows the Chain Home Radar site located at Walton on the Naze, 5 miles south of Harwich. Only one building remains today, the rest having fallen off the cliffs since WWII due to coastal erosion.

We will be opening every other Sunday until the end of October this year. Group and private visits are possible (subject to availability). Please contact us via our contact page. If you haven’t visited before, we hope to meet you this year 🙂

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 🙂

As part of a nation wide event, we opened the tower on Saturday and Sunday, along with other historic sites in Harwich. We were busy from beginning to end of each day, welcoming 56 visitors on Saturday and 101 on Sunday, a new record for us. We had lots of positive feedback and even spoke to a couple of people who worked on post war Radar and were more than happy to talk about their experiences. Also had a retired Royal Navy crew member who operated Radar at sea during the 60’s and 70’s.

Chris, Kye and Ben – Amazing place

Carol and Kevin – Woh [sic] very interesting !

The Headford – Fascinating & very informative

Tony & Chris – Very interesting and informative. Thank you

We have three more open days on 3rd, 17th and 31st October between 11am and 3pm. Have a few ideas to work on over the winter, then hopefully reopening March 2022. Hope to see you there 🙂

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 🙂

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 🙂