Anyway I visited the mirrors to take some photos a few times around 1997 and 1998. At the time they were almost totally forgotten about and in the middle of an active gravel pit. The large 200 foot sound wall was very close to falling into the pit and disappearing forever. It was such a strange an eerie place…[More…]
Individual mirrors
Modern technology at Maghtab
Maltese telecoms firm GO has updated the kit at its Maghtab site, by the sound mirror:
In comments, [Prime Minister] Dr Gonzi said the Maghtab headend site was symbolically important because of the sound mirror, a primitive radar built some 70 years ago to detect and amplify the sounds of air and sea vessels nearing Malta.
This is the only sound mirror built outside England but became outdated within three to seven years since being built because it was replaced by radars.
Dr Gonzi said that even nowadays, major investment in technology became outdated quickly and companies needed to continue investing consistently.
GO fully equipped to transmit English and Italian football, Annaliza Borg, The Malta Independent
Denge open day pictures
Lots of good pictures are appearing on Flickr after the 18 July 2010 open day at the Denge sound mirrors (click to see Richard Fisher’s picture in full):
Feel free you add your photos to the Sound Mirrors Pool.
Detling sound mirror
Thread at the Kent History Forum.
Hythe guided walk July 2010
On Sunday 4 July 2010 I joined a Romney Marsh Countryside Project guided walk to the Hythe sound mirrors, and got some better photos for the website. The 30 foot mirror isn’t in a very happy state.
There were about 50 people on the walk. More photos at Flickr.
Hythe sound mirror walk
As well as the walks to the Denge mirrors, there is one to the Hythe sound mirror this year.
Sunday 4th July 2.00pm
SOUND MIRRORS AT HYTHEA chance to walk up the steep grassy escarpment to the 30ft Concrete Mirror or Sound Dish on The Roughs at Hythe. One of the Mirrors has fallen down and the other is surrounded by fencing, but the views are wonderful. Donation appreciated.
Full details at the Romney Marsh Countryside Project website.
Diamond Geezer at Abbot’s Cliff
On May 31 Diamond Geezer (who writes a very good London blog) “…found an acoustic sound mirror at Abbott’s Cliff”.
Photos of 2004 Denge sound mirror guided walk
Hywel Williams took some photographs on a guided walk to the Denge sound mirrors on 4 August 2004: Denge Sound Mirrors – “The Listening Ears”.
I could hear the little steam train pass across in front of me off the sound mirror, GREATLY magnified in sound and apparently in the mirror direction it was traveling. Clearly not a demonstration of aeroplane detection, but also a clear demonstration that these concrete mirrors still work, nearly 80 years after their experimental construction!
Ooo, I’m in one of the photos!
Hywel also has a rather good site about Disused stations on London’s Underground.
Denge sound mirrors from the air
Ian Ballard has photographed the Denge sound mirrors from a light aircraft.
Denge mirrors at Exploring Kent’s Past
“Acoustic Sound Mirrors at Greatstone-on-Sea, Lydd” at Kent County Council’s Exploring Kent’s Past.
The remains of three large concrete structures, formerly an anti-aircraft Acoustic Detection installation. Microphones were attached to the three reinforced concrete structures in order to pick up the sound of approaching enemy aircraft. The smallest ‘sound mirror’ was found to be fairly ineffective so it was superseded by a larger dish, 12 m in diameter. This in turn was replaced by a 70m long ‘sound wall’. The structures were built by the RAF between 1930-4. They were rendered obsolete by the introduction of radar in 1935, and by advances in aerial technology.
Source: Exploring Kent’s Past