Swingate transmitting station, Transmitter station in St Margaret's at Cliffe, England.
Swingate transmitting station is a telecommunications facility near St Margaret's at Cliffe on the southeastern coast of Kent, made up of several tall masts and related structures spread across open land. The site holds Grade II* listed building status, which means it is recognized as having more than special interest at a national level.
The station was built during World War II as part of the Chain Home radar network, which was one of the first early warning radar systems used in combat. After the war ended, the site gradually shifted from military radar use to civilian telecommunications, and it has remained in operation ever since.
The name Swingate refers to the old local topography, and the towers visible from the surrounding farmland have become a familiar part of the landscape for people living along this stretch of the Kent coast. Walkers on the nearby coastal paths often spot the masts rising above the fields long before they reach the clifftop.
The site is an active facility and is not open to the public, so visits are limited to viewing from outside the perimeter. The coastal paths running nearby along the clifftops give a clear view of the masts without needing to approach the fenced areas.
Below the visible masts, wartime bunkers were built underground to keep operations running even if the surface structures were hit. These underground spaces are not visible from the outside and are easy to miss when looking at what appears to be just a field of tall masts.
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