Monument record TQ 77 SE 1323 - Line of the Hoo Peninsula Second World War Stop Line from the River Medway to north-east of Hoo St Werburgh

Line of the Hoo Peninsula Stop Line from the River Medway to north-east of Hoo St Werburgh from the English Heritage report 9-2014 on the Second World War Stop Line from Hoo St Werburgh to Higham Marshes. This shows the line, with the flanking cleared areas shown in a separate monument record.

The report notes:
"Aerial photographs taken in 1942 show the line of the anti-tank ditch flanked by a cleared strip of ground from the River Medway at TQ 7925 7169 to the Stoke Road TQ 7904 7282 where it turned north-west towards Kingshill at TQ 7827 7307.

Condition: Aerial photographs indicate parts of the anti-tank ditch were backfilled by May 1944. The line of the ditch where it meets the bank of the River Medway corresponds to an open trench for about 125m. Cropmarks indicate the sub-surface remains of the ditch to the north and south of Abbot's Court Cottages on 2011 and 2013 aerial photographs. A section of the line to the north of Stoke Road was observed on a site visit in 2014. It comprised a back-filled ditch visible as a low earthwork with parchmarks delineating the banks of either side an earthwork." (1)

Part of the Hoo Peninsula World War Two Stop Line anti-invasion ditch was located during a 2019 evaluation and a 2020 strip, map, and sample excavation carried out at White House Farm, Stoke Road. The ditch was identified in the northern corner of the site. No internal features were associated with the ditch, reflecting the limited time frame during which it was constructed and used. (2, 3)

<1> historic england, 2014, Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project: Second World War Stop Line: Hoo St Werburgh to Higham Marshes. Research Report 9-2014. (Bibliographic reference). SKE31599.

<2> Wessex Archaeology, 2020, Land at White House Farm, Stoke Road, Hoo, Kent, Archaeological Strip, Map and Sample (Unpublished document). SKE54646.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2019, Land at White House Farm, Stoke Road, Hoo, Kent, Archaeological evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE53138.