Shorts
In 1942 Shorts Seaplane factory made a decision that the new part of their factory should be constructed in chalk cliffs behind their original factory, this was considered vital at the time due to the war and the fragility of the Thames Estuary
The tunnel factory consisted of 12,000 feet of factory space and would provide the room for 75 machines. 
At one end of the factory a 400 metre tunnel links up with a Air Raid Shelter complex. These were very big shelters consisting of two main tunnels which run to 300m long, crossed by 14 smaller connecting tunnels.
There are a lot of features still left with both the factory and the air raid shelters.
In the factory there is a whole room full of paperwork just left on the shelves. Various moulds from the factory’s post war operations can be seen to.
In the air raid shelters it is easy to see the signs left from the war including a number of No smoking signs! There was a large Pedestrian Gangway sign but
this has now been covered by a strange white fungus.
Part of the air-raid shelters seem to have been used for valuable storage and have heavy metal gates on them, the rumour is that the local town used them to store museum pieces and valuable works of art.