St. Margaret's Plotting Room #1

This bunker or plotting room is the first of two on Seaview Road, St. Margaret's near Dover. It is situated just off the road near the positions of nos. 2 and 3 guns of the South Foreland battery. Access is through a small hole, then through a hatch and down a steel ladder. The interior layout is very similar to that of Plotting Room #2, but here the steel blast doors are still in position. Unfortunately the entrance chamber is blackened by smoke from a fire, but the condition of the rest of the bunker is pretty good and the interior fairly dry with most of the original paintwork on the steel beams etc. still there. There is even the legend 'Plotting Room' over one of the steel doors! For a plan of the South Foreland battery see maps.
These photos taken March 2001.

 

Entrance to plotting room.

 

Hatch in steel cover leads into bunker.

 

Steel ladder from entrance hatch.

Walls covered with soot from fire, luckily no damage to actual structure.

 

Steel blast doors still in situ and working.

 

Steel door leading into plotting room.

Small door is entrance to escape shaft.

 

Inside plotting room.

 

Looking into escape shaft from plotting room.

 

Looking up at emergency escape ladder and hatch.

 

Looking back into plotting room from escape shaft.

 

Plotting room, note ventilation ducts.

 

Ventilation duct and steel roof beams still in good condition.

 

Ventilation plant room.