W T Henley/AEI Cable works Air raid sheleter Northfleet feb 2011

[wevsky]

Right this explore has been in the planning for a few days..It was a previous report that kind of got me interested in both the ww2 tunnels and the cable works..
My self and space invader decided that we should give this place a go, few text’s later and obscurity and maniac where on board and after talking to kheridr I found out troglodyte and Peach where planning the same trip same day so after a few calls we decided to all meet up .
The tunnels themselves we where told on site had basically had steel doors attached to metal frames and the only one that hadn’t been sealed wasn’t The easiest of gaps,Big shout out too MR.T for his help as entry was made possible.The tunnels where all id expected and more..nice and clean un chaved and really quite large,after we’d all spent a fairwhile inside we drove to several other locations and to be honest one of the locations none of us bothered to take out cameras out as the place was uninspiring to say the least.So after some debate we headed back to AEI for a look round the cable works itself so a few pics from there to finish off with.

Brief history stolen from underground Kent

The company W T Henley has always been highly regarded for the manufacture of cable and electrical components and was clearly the company of choice when a system had to be devised as a countermeasure to the growing threat of German magnetic mines during the Second World War. As a result, a new site was constructed in 1939 in Gravesend for W T Henley and a complex of tunnels built underneath to provide air raid shelter for the company’s employees
With at least six entrances, the air raid shelter was very clearly signed internally to ensure that there was no confusion when looking for your allocated space. Cut into chalk and lined with prefabricated concrete, the shelter tunnels were well laid out, including first aid areas and numerous latrines – in the form of Elson buckets.

The tunnels themselves don’t seem to have much in the way of documented history unlike the cable works, So for those of you with the lust for info here’s a few links that may interest you!

http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1857.0


http://kenttodayandyesterday.blogspot.com/2009/11/w-t-henleys-aei-cable-works-northfleet.html

On with the pics from what had to have been one of the biggest laughs ive had in ages…


http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03123.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03129.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03132.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03136.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03152.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03162.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03168.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03180.jpg

On to the Cable works..Just a couple be rude not too

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03213.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03219.jpg

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/wevsky/AEI%20henleys%20ww2%20tunnels%20and%20cable%20work s/DSC03205.jpg

Thanks to every one on the trip it really was a class day out!

[beam assisted]

Nice tunneling mate. Love the signage also

[MJS]

Good stuff Sunny Jim

[Krypton]

Very nice, im liking all the toilets piled up

[wevsky]

According to someone they are quite rare and not somthing youd expect still in there

[beam assisted]

According to someone they are quite rare and not somthing youd expect still in there

a couple maybe. I seen them go for £60-£80 on ebay

[wevsky]

Yeah i saw that said somewhere matey bloody loads of them

[beam assisted]

Probably just put them all in the same place.
Some of them look in mint condition also

[wevsky]

Erm mint yes..got a nice shot of me mate sat there poised lol..still have the seats on in some cases

[beam assisted]

Are they the wooden or Bakelite variety?

[wevsky]

Are they the wooden or Bakelite variety?

Ah i think wooden matey ,well the one me mate has his skinny arse sat on was

[beam assisted]

lol
shame, Bakelite ones are even rarer IIRC

[wevsky]

ill have to ask the young man who stuck his bottom on it to be sure..

[beam assisted]

lol if it was very cold and black then its Bakerlite lol

[Rebel]

The air raid tunnels look in great condition to say that the building above is trashed. Thanks for posting this up :thumb

[ERNIE99_UK]

Is nice and dry down there, quite unusual to see some eltex bogs outside an roc post:)

[Nicola]

Cool - looks like a good wander!

[sqwasher]

Nice tunnel shots, good to see the original signage too!

[wevsky]

Nice tunnel shots, good to see the original signage too!

To be Honest mate its all original in there..and was only one place that looked like it had supports for wooden seats ,so we where thinking movable benches ? Shame in a way its probably been sealed but good in other ways..