Canvey’s Last & Lost Pillboxes
In the early Second World War – being 1939 or 1940, a total of nine pillboxes, along with other defences and bunkers, were built across …
Thorney Bay Coastal Defence Batteries
Canvey Island was a fairly quiet area in the 1930s, so when it became heavily militarised to defend against air, land, and sea on the …
Fort Amherst
Beyond the Point has been fortunate enough to get a special tour around Fort Amherst, situated in Chatham, back in 2017. With thanks to our …
Shoebury Searchlights & Pillbox
East along from Shoebury’s Gunners Park where the old ranges were, along the seawall by the Garrison, lies several WWII coastal defences built to protect …
Shoebury Old Ranges – Gunners Park
The ranges at Shoeburyness have a long ever-changing history, from the 1840s until present day. The ‘old ranges’, now Gunners’ Park near the Garrison, were …
RAF Bradwell Bay Remains
RAF Bradwell Bay was rebuilt in 1940 over the site of an interwar 1936 aerodrome. The surviving concrete runway was built in 1941. The airfield …
B-17 Crash at Canvey Point
The Canvey Archive has a large collection of memoirs, photographs, and by CloudScout” href=”https://beyondthepoint.co.uk/historic-locations/canvey-island/the-second-world-war/b17-crash-site/#48142577″> shared is here: http://canveyisland.org/documents/DHB_v2_Med_Res.pdf On the 19th of June 1944 a formation …
New Tavern Fort & Milton Chantry
Situated on the opposite side of the River Thames to Tilbury Fort, New Tavern Fort was one of several built to protect to London and …
Rawreth HAA Battery & POW Camp
Driving through Rawreth Industrial Estate you wouldn’t have a clue that you were driving past some old Prisoner of War buildings; but they were once …
Billericay Spigot Mortar Emplacement
Defending Billericay’s railway line and bridge lies an abandoned spigot mortar emplacement – a crude form of defence designed for use by the Home Guard …
Shornemead Fort
Shornemead Fort was one of many built along the Thames to protect London from an invasion. The fort was built on the site of a previous …
RAF Rochford Pillboxes
Back in Easter 2014, the two BTP boys, and occasional accomplice Jack, set off to investigate pillboxes once defending Rochford airfield – now Southend airport. …
Southend in WW1 & The Palace Hotel
Shortly before BTP Liam wrote this article, he began reading the book ‘Southend at War’ by the excellent local author Dee Gordon. Beyond the Point’s …
Stratford Pillbox & Anti-Tank Blocks
Whilst working in the area, I decided to go on a walk and stumbled across this purely by chance. Just a few minutes walk away …
Shorts Seaplane Factory & Shelter
“Aviation pioneers and their workforce founded Britain’s aircraft seaplane and flying boat industry” Dating back as early as 1897, the Short Brothers had always had …
V-3 Cannon, Mimoyecques
What was the V-3 Cannon and the Fortress of Mimoyecques? Most people interested in military history or alive in the war will be familiar with …
Chappel Viaduct WW2 Defences
British Troops have been pushed back to Dunkirk; all that lies between the Germans and Britain is the English Channel. With the threat of German …
The Bay Museum, Canvey
Beyond the Point are good friends and close-working colleagues with the Bay Museum. Like us, they are bringing Canvey’s history into the 21st Century with …
M.V. Bendigo Torpedo Boat
Another vessel involved in the Second World War marooned on Canvey is the M.V. Bendigo. Historian Robin Howie explains: “The M.V. Bendigo was being towed …
Lexden Iron Age Earthworks
On the edges of Camulodunum; ancient Colchester, there once stood an Iron Age defence system – part of a greater one spanning the circumference of …
Rayleigh Mount
What now stands as a strange overgrown mound of earth piling high into the sky, squeezed behind a car park near Rayleigh high street, was …
Shoebury Garrison
The history of the garrison dates back to 1849 when the land was first purchased by the Board of Ordanance. Woolwich Common was usually used …
Shoeburyness Jetty Poppy Wave
It’s the final two weeks of the Poppy Wave sculpture in Shoeburyness and we decided to take a look before the wave of poppies move …
Canvey V-2 Bomb Crater
When the land was first bought by the RSPB in 2006, one of their first jobs was to sweep the land to see if any …