Record Details
| NHER Number: | 41604 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | World War Two anti tank blocks and three mortar emplacements |
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Summary
Seventy one concrete anti tank blocks and three spigot mortar bases were found on the beach in sand dunes in 2004. Originally they would have been placed on top of the dunes, but have gradually toppled down over the years.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 49907 19780 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG41NE |
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| Parish: | WINTERTON ON SEA, GREAT YARMOUTH, NORFOLK |
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Full description
May-November 2004. Norfolk Rapid Coastal Zone Archaeological Survey.
Inter-tidal survey (Environmental Zone 22), Context 660:
Seventy one concrete anti tank blocks and three spigot mortar bases were found on the beach, close to the base of the dunes. Originally placed on the top of the dunes during the Second World War (in 1940), they have all fallen to rest. Many of the blocks rested on their sides; all were partly buried in sand.
Since they were recorded in August 2004, more blocks have fallen from the top of the dunes [context 701]. (S1).
See assessment report (S2) for further details.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.421).
J. Allen (NLA), 26 April 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2019.
January 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The anti tank blocks described above formed part of a World War Two tank trap recorded as NHER 18355. The spigot mortar pedestals (or ‘thimbles’) were almost certainly emplaced as part of a larger group of military defences (NHER 42452), which also included the tank trap. The original location of the emplacements is not known; one is likely to equate with the emplacement mapped at TG 4990 1979.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 30 January 2006.
Monument Types
- ANTI TANK BLOCK (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- SPIGOT MORTAR EMPLACEMENT (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| <S1> | Article in Serial: Pitts, M.. 2005. Sea finally takes defences.. British Archaeology. Vol 82, p 9. |
| <S2> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Robertson, D., Crawley, P., Barker, A., and Whitmore, S. 2005. Norfolk Rapid Coastal Zone Archaeological Survey. Assessment Report and Updated Project Design. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 1045. |
Related records
| 42452 | Part of: World War Two anti invasion defences at Winterton Gap (Monument) |
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