RAF St Lawrence Chain Home Remote Reserve Radar

RAF St. Lawrence was situated along the coastal region, about two miles west of Ventnor. The ‘remote reserve’ facility was first constructed as a contingency plan for the Southbourne site located in Bournemouth. It was established and put into action in 1941, equipped with emergency mobile equipment, following the bombing of the Ventnor main facility.

Despite being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by English Nature, the site still has many of its original qualities, although some of them have been concealed for the sake of site conservation. The seaside walk provides a vantage point from which the site may be observed, however, entry into the structures is strictly restricted unless prior authorization has been obtained from English Nature.

A topic that has recently garnered significant attention among the local populace pertains to the veracity of claims suggesting that German forces arrived in this vicinity during the early months of 1942 and engaged in the act of pilfering equipment from the station.

During a recent site inspection conducted on December 2, 2012, it was seen that there had been discernible activity pertaining to the command and control bunker, situated around 100 metres inland. The surface layer of the Earth seems to have been deliberately excavated, revealing the underlying structure of the edifice.

The foundation blocks were constructed using locally sourced material that was dredged from nearby sources. The blocks were created on-site, employing various shuttering forms, and subsequently filled with poured concrete. The image presented below serves as an illustration of the utilisation of regional aggregate, specifically highlighting the presence of a small winkle shell encircled in red.

• www.ventnorradar.co.uk/RAFStL.htm

• http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/s/st_lawrence_remote_reserve/index.shtml