A Second World War artillery emplacement atop the White Cliffs of Dover is being excavated as part of a National Trust conservation project.

The Wanstone battery was once home to the largest, longest-range weapons ever installed on mainland Britain, with its 15-inch guns having a remarkable range of up to 26 miles.

With the end of the conflict, the guns fell silent and the majority were either put into storage or cut up for scrap.

Sites such as this outside Dover - with their imposing concrete and brick structures - were then either demolished, covered up or left derelict for nature to reclaim.

In 2017, the private land on which the Wanstone cross-Channel guns stood was acquired by the National Trust. A series of surveys and exploratory excavations revealed 25 military structures, some in a remarkable state of preservation.

Following the award of a £199,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, it has now been possible to excavate and stabilise the site as part of the Wanstone Rediscovered project.

A National Trust spokesman said: "This is an initial phase of a much larger scheme to bring the gun batteries back to life, not in a literal sense, but through the powerful histories these structures will reveal.

"Wanstone battery is a time capsule from the darkest days of the Second World War and it is a rare survivor from an eyesore clearance programme in the 1970s.

"Today we can only marvel at the speed and craftsmanship of those who did so much, in so little time, to defend our country.

"Uncovering and conserving these remains will help us to tell the story of a momentous time in the history of this corner of England.

"We hope that some permanent public access will eventually follow in the future, and in this way, the memories of those who served here can live on."