Scheduled Monuments›England›World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness

World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness

England
List entry 1021090
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1021090
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.12 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 92027 82433
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness is a reinforced concrete defensive structure constructed during the Second World War as part of Britain's coastal fortification programme. The caisson, positioned on the sandbank at Shoebury Ness in Essex, represents the engineering responses developed to protect against potential enemy invasion and to control the waters of the Thames Estuary. Dating to the early 1940s, the structure exemplifies the substantial concrete works deployed along vulnerable stretches of the British coastline during wartime. The caisson remains an archaeological witness to the urgent defensive preparations undertaken by Britain during the critical phases of the conflict.

World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021090. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness?

World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness is a reinforced concrete defensive structure constructed during the Second World War as part of Britain's coastal fortification programme. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1021090.

Who is responsible for protecting World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness?

World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness 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 1021090.

What other scheduled monuments are near World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Defended prehistoric settlement at Shoeburyness, known as the Danish Camp (2.7 km), Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness (3.9 km), Southchurch Hall moated site (4.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness'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
2.7 km
Cold War defence boom, Pig's Bay, Shoeburyness
3.9 km
Southchurch Hall moated site
4.1 km
A slight univallate hillfort known as Prittlewell Camp, 500m east of Sutton Road crematorium
6.2 km
Prittlewell Priory
6.5 km
Heavy Anti-aircraft gunsite, 380m south east of Butler's Gate
6.8 km
Sheerness Defences: C19 gun emplacements and magazines and early-C20 gun towers, fire-control building and pillbox on the Centre Bastion
7.1 km
Sheerness defences
7.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness

World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness stands on Eocene claystone, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is claystone.

The wider landscape

Around World War II caisson, West Knock sandbank, Shoebury Ness

RochesterRoman town · ~14 milesCanterburyRoman town · ~20.8 milesBattle of Maldon 991Battle (991) · ~14.8 miles
Domesday entry for Shoebury, Essex →
All Scheduled Monuments