Record Details
| NHER Number: | 42102 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Possible World War Two minefield |
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Summary
A group of what appear to be parallel banks is visible as earthworks on the sand dunes at Horsey on 1940s aerial photographs. During World War Two this area was used intensively by the military and the banks, which appear to be fairly fresh earthworks in 1940, seem most likely to be of military origin. Their layout is reminiscent of that of the minefields to the southeast (e.g. part of NHER 42103) and they too may represent either a small minefield or part of a larger minefield which is otherwise not visible (at least on aerial photographs). More recent aerial photographs suggest that the banks have since been levelled.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 4597 2477 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG42SE |
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| Parish: | HORSEY, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
October 2005. Norfolk NMP.
A group of what appear to be parallel banks is visible as earthworks on 1940s aerial photographs (S1) and (S2), centred at TG 4597 2477. They appear to have been relatively fresh earthworks in 1940 (S1) and their layout is similar to that of the World War Two minefields to their southeast (e.g. NHER 42103), suggesting that they too were part of a similar World War Two defence. While the extent of the visible banks seems too small for a typical minefield, they might be the only visible part of a larger mined area. At the same time, the possibility that the banks represent a different type of World War Two military activity or defence, or that they relate to civilian activity in the pre-war period cannot be ruled out, although what function they might have served is difficult to imagine. They are not visible on more recent aerial photographs suggesting that they have been levelled deliberately or by natural means.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 26 October 2005.
Monument Types
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (Unknown date)
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- MINEFIELD? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| <S1> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1940. RAF 2A/BR190 (V) 73-4 18-AUG-1940 (NMR). |
| <S2> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1634 2107-8 09-JUL-1946 (NMR). |
Related records - none
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