The acoustic mirrors, known colloquially as ‘listening ears’, at Denge are located between Greatstone-on-Sea and Lydd airfield, on the banks of a now disused gravel pit.

Can you visit the sound mirrors in Dungeness?

The mirrors are situated on an island at Greatstone Lakes in the Dungeness Nature Reserve. Access to them is via a swing bridge, which is normally closed. The site is managed by the RSPB, who arrange for open days, guided tours and photography sessions each year, normally during the summer.

Are there mirrors for sound?

An acoustic mirror is a passive device used to reflect and focus (concentrate) sound waves. Parabolic acoustic mirrors are widely used in parabolic microphones to pick up sound from great distances, employed in surveillance and reporting of outdoor sporting events.

Can you visit the sound mirrors in Kent?

Spectacular remnants of a dead-end technology, the three concrete “listening ears” at Denge near Dungeness in Kent are the best known of the various early warning acoustic mirrors built along Britain’s coast. There is no public access to the Dungeness mirrors, which are in the middle of a disused gravel pit.

What material reflects sound best?

In general, soft, pliable, or porous materials (like cloths) serve as good acoustic insulators – absorbing most sound, whereas dense, hard, impenetrable materials (such as metals) reflect most.

Can sound bounce off of sound?

When sound travels in a given medium, it strikes the surface of another medium and bounces back in some other direction, this phenomenon is called the reflection of sound. The waves are called reflected sound waves.

Is Dungeness really a desert?

Dungeness – disappointingly – is not actually a desert. To qualify as a true desert an area must receive less than 250 millimetres of precipitation a year.

What are the Sound Mirrors at Denge?

Drainage dykes, known locally as sewers, were built. At the north-eastern edge of Denge Marsh, near Greatstone-on-Sea, are the sound mirrors at Denge: they are large concrete structures, built as an experiment between 1928 and 1930, by which sound could be focussed onto microphones, so giving an early warning of the approach of enemy aircraft.

Where are the Best Sound Mirrors in the UK?

The Denge mirrors are the most famous, but there are a number of other early warning acoustic mirrors in Britain. There is another 200 ft mirror at Maghtab in Malta. If you visit any of the sound mirrors, you can add your photographs to the Sound Mirrors pool at Flickr. Sound mirror at Denge near Dungeness in Kent.

Where are the sound mirrors in Greatstone?

The mirrors are near Greatstone in Kent. An approximate grid reference is TR 075213. The only way of getting up close to the Denge sound mirrors is by go to an open day run by the RSPB.

What is the history of the three sound mirrors?

The Romney Marsh Countryside Project website has short history of the three sound mirrors. At the back of two gravel pits at Lade on an island are the three concrete listening mirrors, built in the 1920’s and 1930’s to detect enemy aircraft as they approached Britain.