BRITAIN'S ONLY DESERT
Dungeness, nicknamed the 'desert of England', is one of the largest expanses of shingle beach in Europe. The ness that extends outwards from from shoreline in a triangular formation harbours remnants of an age old fishing industry, the landscape littered with rundown fishermen’s shacks, abandoned railway lines, rusted anchors, twisted piles of rope and mounds of discarded scallop shells. Two lighthouses and a power station loom menacingly above it all. The headland on the coast of Kent is also a national nature reserve and home to a remarkable variety of wildlife including over 600 different types of plant as well as insects such as moths, bees and beetles, and spiders; many of which are rare and can only be found in this area. The Denge listening ears are not far from the coastline. Designed and built by Percy Rothwell in 1928, these concrete acoustic mirrors were a used as an early warning system for detecting incoming aircraft during World War I.