Record Details

NHER Number:14970
Type of record:Monument
Name:World War Two pillbox south of Fritton House Farm

Summary

A large rectangular World War Two pillbox survives as an extant building and is also visible on aerial photographs taken from 1942 onwards. It was almost certainly one of the outer defences for Ludham airfield (NHER 8456), the edge of which lies 150m to the northwest. The pillbox, which is very large and has large embrasures, appears to be one of two examples of a unique variant of this pillbox design.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 4022 1897
Map Sheet:TG41NW
Parish:LUDHAM, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

South of Fritton House.
Pillbox; large and unusual. Brick; square; with two widely splayed slits on each face.
E. Rose (NAU), 24 May 1979.

See record form in file by source [1], who adds:
One of two AM/3 pillboxes but a unique variant. Very large rectangular pillbox, seemingly overbuilt for purpose of protecting Ludham airfield. Date of about 1940.
Survey No. N1-8.
D.Walker (NLA) July 1996.

January 2004. Visited.
Still extant.
E. Rose (NLA), 15 January 2004.

September 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The pillbox described above is visible as an extant building on aerial photographs (S1)-(S3), centred at TG 4022 1897. Its ‘fresh’ appearance in 1942 (S1) suggests that it was relatively newly built at that date, almost certainly as an outer defence for Ludham airfield (NHER 8456) which opened in September 1941.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 11 September 2006.

Monument Types

  • PILLBOX (AIR MINISTRY PATTERN) (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
  • PILLBOX (VARIANT) (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
  • PILLBOX (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Photograph: Kent, P.. 1994. KHC 26-29.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1942. RAF FNO/32 6091-2 02-JUL-1942 (NMR).
<S2>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1634 5057-8 09-JUL-1946 (NMR).
<S3>Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1990. OS/90224 240-1 31-JUL-1990 (NMR).

Related records

8456Part of: Ludham Airstrip (Monument)

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