Scheduled Monuments›England›Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness

Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness

England
List entry 1021091
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1021091
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 95225 84815
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness, is a Cold War defence installation dating to the 1950s. Located on the Essex coast near Southend-on-Sea, it represents Britain's rapid militarization during the early Cold War period when coastal defences were urgently upgraded against perceived Soviet threat. The site comprises concrete emplacements and associated structures typical of mid-twentieth-century anti-aircraft and anti-tank defensive works. As part of the broader network of post-war coastal fortifications, Pig's Bay reflects the strategic importance placed on defending the Thames estuary and the industrial heartland of southeast England during the height of Cold War tensions.

Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021091. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness?

Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness, is a Cold War defence installation dating to the 1950s. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1021091.

Who is responsible for protecting Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness?

Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1021091.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Defended prehistoric settlement at Shoeburyness, known as the Danish Camp (1.3 km), World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness (3.9 km), Southchurch Hall moated site (5.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Defended prehistoric settlement at Shoeburyness, known as the Danish Camp
1.3 km
World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness
3.9 km
Southchurch Hall moated site
5.7 km
Romano-British burial site on Foulness Island
6.3 km
Heavy Anti-aircraft gunsite, 380m south east of Butler's Gate
6.6 km
A slight univallate hillfort known as Prittlewell Camp, 500m east of Sutton Road crematorium
6.8 km
Atomic Weapons Research Establishment Foulness Island, 1947 Explosives Storage Area
7.3 km
Mud Berth for CGWV No 7 (formerly HMS Beagle)
7.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness

Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness stands on Eocene claystone, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is claystone.

The wider landscape

Around Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness

RochesterRoman town · ~16.4 milesCanterburyRoman town · ~20.8 milesBattle of Maldon 991Battle (991) · ~13.9 miles
Domesday entry for Shoebury, Essex →
All Scheduled Monuments