Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

30 March 1983.
Positive cropmarks.
Ring ditch in bracken/undergrowth.
D. Edwards (NAU), 20 July 1983.

March 1994.
Visited by H.Bamford for HBMC. This is not a ring ditch, it is a circular earthwork with entrance to the west, very probably a gun position connected with the decoy airfield 13566.
E. Rose (NLA), 10 March 1994.

See record form in file by source [1], who adds:
Ruins of quite rare 1940/45 gun position (uncertain).
Survey No. D2-72.
D. Walker (NLA), July 1996.

October 2002. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks of World War Two gun emplacement and associated structure, visible on RAF aerial photographs from 1946 (S1) and 1950 (S2). The emplacement consists of a curvilinear ‘tear-shaped’ embankment, measuring approximately 11m by 9.5m, with an entrance to the west. Clearly visible on the 1946 RAF aerial photographs (S1) within the centre of this enclosure is a small rectangular structure at TG 0767 4241, measuring 2m across, with a narrow projectile to the east, 1.5m by 0.5m. It is possible that this structure relates to the housing of the gun, such as the holdfast or tripod. It is also possible that it is the gun itself as the heath may still have been in use as an army training area, perhaps in association with the Weybourne Camp to the east (NHER 11335). There are around twenty gun emplacements on the heath, not all of these can have been in contemporary use. Another possibility is that they were being constructed for army training purposes. To the immediate north of the gun emplacement is a circular structure at TG 0767 4242. The structure appears to be located on a slightly raised circular platform, 7.5m in diameter. In the centre of which a structure can be seen which appears to be ‘I-shaped’, with the long axis aligned east-west, measuring 5m by 2.5m. The structure cannot be seen clearly, although it appears to have some height to it. It is possible that it relates to a searchlight or some similar defensive structure. To it interesting to note that the remains of this feature is not visible on the 1950 RAF aerial photographs (S2), suggesting that its construction was quite ephemeral compared to the gun emplacements which survive quite well.
S. Massey (NMP), 15 April 2003.

Monument Types

• GUN EMPLACEMENT (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• STRUCTURE (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Salthouse (Parish Summary)