Transmitter Tower (tower 2), Transmitter site, former Swingate Chain Home Radar Station

Swingate Radar Station is built on a prominent site above the cliffs about 2km to the north-east of Dover town, centred on grid reference TR 33680 43077. The site is large (approximately 21ha) and consists of a transmitter site, receiver site, and ancillary structures and features. The remainder of the transmitter site, the receiver site and buried reserve are separately listed.

The transmitter site, where this tower is located, is to the south-west of the wider radar site at TR 33470 42884 and is enclosed within a rectangular fenced enclosure. As was common to all transmitter sites, the transmitter towers were constructed in a line and were of steel lattice on concrete footings. (The Swingate transmitter and receiver examples were all-self supporting and therefore are technically towers rather than masts: masts were used on west coast Chain Home sites and had to be supported by steel guy ropes.) The two northern towers remain, the southern of which is described below, and the bases of the two southern towers also survive. Historic photographs show all four in situ.

TOWER 2 (TR 33456 42917) This is a c350ft self-supporting steel transmitter tower. It is of galvanised steel construction, bolted together. Originally there would have been six cantilevered steel inspection platforms with timber floors (to inspect the aerial arrays which were slung between the towers), but these have been removed. As a Group 3 tower, it was built by J L Eve Construction Co. Ltd following an Air Ministry design drawn up by Mr Norman Garnish. The tower is supported on four reinforced concrete feet which are approximately 3m2 by 2m tall. The external concrete facing is understood to be a repair of post-2000 date, encasing the 1930s form. All modern plant and machinery, fixtures, fittings, communications equipment (including radio equipment cabins and electricity meter cabinets), masts, antennae (including associated brackets, supports and feeders) and the compound fences and gates are not of special interest.