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Echoes from the sea and the sky

In the days before radar, it was difficult to detect the presence of enemy aircraft. So, as an experiment, a group of large, smooth concrete structures was built on the Romney Marsh as an early warning system against air attack. The giant concrete bowls were designed to capture, amplify and focus sound. Using a listening trumpet or, some years later, a microphone, an operator could then plot the distance of the enemy. These sound mirrors were made redundant by the invention of radar, but they still stand, in the middle of a nature reserve, itself a bio-diverse habitat which is home to an array of outstanding wildlife.
In the 60s, such structures were regarded as wartime litter; some of them were destroyed. But after years of neglect, they are increasingly cherished. People stumble upon them and are taken aback, asking each other what on earth they might be. Children get close to them, touch them, and talk to them. Words spoken at one end of the curved wall can be heard at the other end, 200 feet away. The sound mirrors seem to bring out the best in people – there is always lots of laughter. This episode of slow radio was recorded during open days earlier this year.