Author: Andrew Grantham

Sound mirror photos on the BBC website

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Black and white photos of the sound mirrors by Joe Pettet-Smith on the BBC News website.

More than 100 years ago acoustic mirrors along the coast of England were used to detect the sound of approaching German zeppelins.
{…]
Joe Pettet-Smith set out to photograph all the remaining structures following a conversation with his father, who told him about these large concrete structures dotted along the coastline between Brighton and Dover.

Source: The concrete blocks that once protected Britain, BBC News, 7 January 2019

Sound mirrors in the Financial Times

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

An article about sound mirrors by the security and defence editor of the Financial Times.

Forgotten, dilapidated and, in one case, buried by the local council as an eyesore; these smooth, spherical concrete structures known as acoustic mirrors provided the UK with its first early warning system against German air attack during the first world war.

Source: Joe Pettet-Smith’s photographs of the UK’s early warning air defence system, David Bond, Financial Times, 20 July 2018.

It even quotes this website!

Dungeness sound mirror open day

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

2018 Denge sound mirror open days

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

There will be two open days at the Denge sound mirrors this year. The open days are scheduled for 10:00 to 15:00 on Saturday 7 July 2018 and Saturday 1 September 2018.

Denge sound mirror open day 2016

There will be a cash-only charge of £5 per adult, £2.50 per child (RSPB members free).

There are more details on the Romney Marsh website events listings for July 2018 and September 2018.

The open days are generally the only way for the public to access the Denge listening ears close up, although there have also been some photography days, so it might be worth keeping an eye out, if you are seriously interested.

(Please note that andrewgrantham.co.uk has no connection to the open day, the RSPB or anything else! Please check the details with the RSPB before visiting)

Kew sound mirrors

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

A pair of Richter Spielgeräte concrete sound mirrors in a small park on the banks of the River Thames at Kew in west London. Photographs taken on 11 March 2018.

Sunderland sound mirror goes viral

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

This tweet about the Sunderland sound mirror was a little bit popular!