A talk by Andy Beharrell - Platforms, Pirates and Pornography

Name: A talk by Andy Beharrell - Platforms, Pirates and Pornography
Start: 2025-02-22T19:00:00+00:00
Location: Woodrolfe Road, Tollesbury, Maldon

Schedule

Sat, 22 Feb, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Woodrolfe Road, Tollesbury, Maldon | Maldon, EN

What connects Screaming Lord Sutch, Gianni Versace, the actor Ralf Little (Death in Paradise) and Doctor Who? While this sounds like a question from Only Connect, the answer actually lies in local east coast waters - the Maunsell Forts. These are a series of army and navy forts which were built in the second world war offshore in the North Sea to protect us from enemy airforce and naval incursions.
These forts played a crucial role in early warning for air and sea raids.
Abandoned after the war their history was then varied and, as you can see from the characters mentioned, at times unexpected.
Some were occupied by Pirate Radio stations while others were used as film locations. One even became a micronation.
This talk looks at this unique history and the mixed cast of characters involved with these platforms. The talk examines what is left of them and the unique legacy which they have left behind.