Martin Mill

Martin Mill
200px Martin Mill railway station
Martin Mill  Martin Mill shown within Kent
OS grid reference	TR345465
District	Dover
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dover
Postcode district	CT15
Dialling code	01304
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Dover
List of places UK England Kent

Martin Mill is a village in east Kent, England. It takes its name from the nearby village of Martin. Martin Mill railway station is on the Dover to Deal railway line.

The windmill which gives Martin Mill its name was operating commercially until about 1923 when Sydney Hogben, the owner and former operator, removed the sails. This caused outrage in the community. The remaining structure was demolished in the 1960s.

History

The original Martin Mill railway was constructed and operated by Pearson & Son in 1897 for the construction of the Admiralty harbour. The line was laid to standard gauge from Martin Mill station and needed very little earth works until it reached the cliffs where terraces with a gradient of about 1 in 25 where cut into the cliff face to form a switch back path down to the harbour. The line was in use until completion of the harbour and eventually dismantled in 1937 after the intention of using it as a passenger line failed.

During the second world war the line was relaid again to standard gauge following the original course to a point north of Fan Bay Battery, from there two new lines where laid eastwards either side of the Dover to St Margaret's road and both terminating at St Margaret's. The northern line supplied the 14" guns "Winnie" and "Pooh" and was also laid with two curved firing spurs for the 13.5" rail mounted guns Gladiator, Scene Shifter and Piece Maker.

The railway guns were 13.5" ex naval guns on WW1 mountings with a maximum elevation of 39 deg, traverse was by using the guns on a curved spur with the degrees marked along the tracks, a large arrow was mounted on the guns bogies to line up with the marks. Recoil was absorbed by special brakes acting on the wheels. Scene Shifter was later converted to an 18" Howitzer gun in November 1943. Maintenance and barrel changing was carried out at the disused Stone Hall Colliery sidings Lydden.

The southern most line had a curved firing spur close to Fan Bay. The line then continued to Wanston battery where two spurs where laid in front of the guns "Clem" and "Jane" for barrel changing. The barrels being transported by rail to Woolwich Arsenal where they were re-sleeved. There was also a short bypass loop north of the line. The line continued passing South foreland battery to the 13.5" hypervelocity gun "Bruce" and would have also have served St Margaret's Battery.

The line was entirely worked by diesel-electric shunting locomotives requisitioned from the LMS (London Midland Scottish) and SR (Southern Railway), three from the SR and six from the LMS the smoke from a steam locomotive being visible above the cliffs would have given the guns positions away. The LMS locomotives being a long way from home were on an exchange basis if a locomotive failed it was immediately replaced from LMS stock, repaired at Derby works and worked on the LMS until required again. The SR locomotives being on home turf were quickly repaired at Ashford works. As the locomotives shared the same English Electric diesel engines it is probable minor engine repairs for the LMS locos could be carried out at Ashford. Whilst on the MMMR the locomotives were stabled at the shed in Martin Mill station Yard.

The line was again lifted just after the end of the war.

See also

• Martin, Kent

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons