North Foreland
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Coordinates: 51°15′27″N 01°23′39″E / 51.2575, 1.39417 North Foreland ¹ and South Foreland ² are two chalk headlands on the east Kent coast of southern England. North Foreland forms the eastern end of the Isle of Thanet; South Foreland is 5 km (3 miles) northeast of Dover, overlooking the Strait of Dover and marking the south-western limit of St Margaret's Bay (named after the village of St Margaret-at-Cliffe). Each presents a bold cliff to the sea, and they command beautiful views over the southern North Sea and the strait respectively. On North Foreland is the North Foreland lighthouse (automated and unstaffed), and on South Foreland there are two: one which went out of service in 1910 and the upper light, now a National Trust property, which went out of service in 1988).

South Foreland is the geological counterpart of Cap Blanc Nez, at the northern extremity of the Boulonnais in the French département of Pas-de-Calais. The two are the landward ends of the Strait of Dover land bridge and their chalk geological stratum dictates the route of the Channel Tunnel.

War

Two naval battles of the Anglo-Dutch Wars are called the Battle of the North Foreland after the cape:

• The Battle of the Gabbard, June 12 to June 14, 1653, in the First Anglo-Dutch War.
• The St. James's Day Battle, August 4 to August 5, 1666, in the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

During the Second World War South Foreland carried a Chain Home radar station which saw much activity. There was also a low level Chain Home station near North Foreland, at Foreness ³.

Notes

1. ^ North Foreland lighthouse coordinates: 51° 22′ 39″ N, 01° 26′ 58″ E
2. ^ South Foreland lighthouse coordinates: 51° 08′ 25″ N, 01° 22′ 16″ E
3. ^ Foreness Radar Station

External links

• MapServer chart: North Foreland location
• National Trust: South Foreland location
• Satellite photograph showing the Thames Estuary
• Photographs of the North and South Foreland