The two open emplacements which stood at this site from 1940 onwards have been incorporated into the modern promenade and sea wall, perhaps ensuring their preservation over other long since disappeared buildings in the area.
Take the winding steps down from the quayside parking area and you’ll set foot on top of the two remaining positions here, one for a 5cm KwK anti-tank gun – used against landing craft – and the other for either a 60cm searchlight, observation post or both.
Standing off the beach here is what looks like a huge chunk of WW2 German concrete built on top of an old wall. This is actually the remains of Fort de l’Heurt, a Napoleonic fortress which was started in 1803 and became operational in July 1804 in a bid to keep the British out of Boulogne.
By WW2 the bastion fort was in ruins and the occupying German forces placed a large concrete construction on top of the remaining stones in order to create a platform for a heavy anti-aircraft gun – again something to keep the British out of Boulogne!
It’s this concrete which is keeping the remains of the historic fort intact, for the time being. At low tide you can walk out to the fort along a usually submerged walkway, but access is dangerous so take care.