Eastern of two Concrete Second World War 4-inch gun emplacements

This is a Second World War concrete 4-inch Beach Defence gun emplacement, likely built in late 1940 or early 1941. The structure is broadly rectangular and constructed of 1-meter thick reinforced concrete, with brick semi-circular front walls.

Internally, the emplacement contains a hexagonal gun chamber with a wide embrasure on its south side, and machine-gun loopholes in the sloping side walls. Behind the gun chamber is an angled east-west passageway, accessed via a central opening from the gun chamber and with external entrances at each end. To the rear of the passage are three chambers within a rectangular magazine. A western entrance is provided for the passage. The plan of this emplacement was modified to accommodate a mature tree located to the north-east of the gun chamber; it is extended eastwards, and a rear entrance is provided in a further extension to the north, reached by a short flight of steps. This entrance corridor includes a low concrete bench. A loophole replaces the eastern passage entrance found in the associated emplacement to the west.

The roof has a slight 'deflection chamfer', and a semi-circular cantilevered concrete canopy projects over the front of the embrasure, which is partly damaged, revealing a railway rail used during construction. A low semi-circular brick wall with a central gap stands in front of the embrasures, formerly enclosing the gun mounting; the square steel gun-plate remains. The west wall is indented to accommodate a tree, which was used for camouflage and remains in situ. The eastern wall is now partially obscured by a modern earth bank.

The roof of the gun chamber is supported by a steel I-beam. The interior retains a painted camouflage pattern of green and brown. A faint line drawing of the seashore with landmarks, used for gun ranging, is visible on the eastern side-wall of the gun chamber, although most of the inscriptions are now illegible. A cement-patched hole in the roof marks where an internal tree, providing additional camouflage from aerial reconnaissance, was removed in 1990. All original fixtures and fittings, including signage, doors, and frames have been removed.