The Listening Post

The Listening Post is a sound mirror built in 1916, which has since been converted into a house by the late 1930s. The sound mirror is made of reinforced concrete, with the shuttered lifts to the exterior clearly visible. The house features slate-clad stud walls and a corrugated asbestos roof, with a two-window front and an additional window inserted into the left-side wall. There are extensions to the rear and right of the building.

Inside, there is a curved profile to the mirror wall. This house incorporates a complete example of a sound mirror, which was part of a series of listening posts constructed for the Admiralty along the south-east and north-east coasts. The need for these installations arose after the German Fleet's attacks on east coast ports in December 1914, which highlighted the necessity for early warning of future raids, especially with the threat posed by Zeppelins. The sound mirror reflected signals to a duty observer using a stethoscope, allowing the plotting of an intruder's course. These stations were precursors to radar technology developed in 1936. Due to the obsolescence of this technology in the late 1930s and subsequent coastal clearance and urbanization, very few examples have survived. The Listening Post maintains a direct relationship between its form and design and its intended use, reflecting its technological and historical significance.