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Reculver

Small babies were not always valued and protected as they are today — on the contrary, in times past they were tossed into the foundations of buildings to ward off evil spirits and protect the occupants from harm. The Roman fort at Reculver near Herne Bay, which dates from the third century, is no exception. Originally the fort was 2km from the shore, but gradually the sea has encroached on the land and it has now claimed over half the area of the great Roman edifice. However, the remaining half has yielded up some shocking truths. A few years ago, during the 1960s, eleven tiny infant skeletons were recovered during a dig and most of them had been carefully positioned beneath walls or the corners of walls as though to give strength to the structure.

Many people have reported hearing pitiful cries late at night, as though these tiny spirits are calling to be freed from their eternal prison beneath the foundations. Some people believe that many babies have been washed up on the shore over time, maybe from shipwrecks, and their cries are also added to the furore. Reculver Towers are all that remain of a Saxon church, St Mary's, built in the midst of the area where the fort once stood. In 1809, the main part of the church was demolished because people were afraid it -would collapse into the sea, but later the two towers were saved in order to provide a landmark for shipping. Work has been done on the shoreline during the 1990s to build new sea defences to prevent the beautiful towers from being overtaken by the rapidly eroding coastline. According to the Kent Wildlife Trust, the shore is receding at the rate of approximately 1-2 metres a year.Cork | Smerwick |