This is one of the last Sound Mirrors still standing on the hill, it is the 30ft Concrete Mirror or Sound Dish on The Roughs at West Hythe, The First World War saw a threat of an airborne attack become reality for the first time so a group of leading scientists created something to alert us to a threat inbound. The ‘listening ears’, as they're also known, were developed and built from World War 1 through to World War 2. They were designed to pick up the engine sounds of aircraft flying towards Britain! which would have given us an early warning that the enemy were approaching. The sound mirror at Hythe can only be reached by a trek through a field. Once you have walked up the hill, you are able to see the mirror, which is fenced off to prevent vandalism but in an unkept condition (all overgrown). These early warning structures were built along the south and east coasts of England, they were designed to detect sound using acoustic dishes and walls detecting the sound of approaching enemy aircraft at a distance of around 8 to 15 miles.
