PIRATES ABOARD
Then in the 1960s the forts sustained a new lease of life as pirate radio stations. The very first Thames radio station was started by none other than Screaming Lord Such. He set up a radio station intending to compete with, amongst others, Radio Caroline. Later in his career Lord Such was known for his horror-themed stage show before launching the Monster Raving Looney Political Party in 1983.
Then followed a stream of local radio stations based in the forts nine miles out to sea, broadcasting to London and Essex. The Pirate radio era was short-lived however and, after a legal dispute in 1967, all the towers were abandoned and deserted again. Since then they’ve remained a lonely landmark just about visible from the coast at Whitstable.
In 2005 an artist called Steven Turner spent six weeks alone in one of them in an experiment to experience such isolation. This was about the same amount of time an army serviceman would spend aboard one during the war.
