Record Details

NHER Number:25538
Type of record:Monument
Name:Heigham Holmes

Summary

'Island' of slightly higher ground surrounded by grazing marsh accessed via Martham Ferry. The site contains the remains of a farmstead and later dairy buildings. Despite persistent rumours of a secret airfield at this location, no clear evidence has been produced.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 440 206
Map Sheet:TG42SW
Parish:POTTER HEIGHAM, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Secret airfield 1940 to 1944 used by Special Operations Executive Lysanders ferrying agents to occupied Europe.
The field was surrounded by water with only one access point. See (S1).
E. Rose (NAU), 25 October 1989.

August 2003.
Nature reserve open day. No evidence seen.
D. Gurney (NLA), 19 August 2003.

March 2005. Norfolk NMP.
The 1944 to 1946 RAF and US AAF aerial photographs were consulted for this site during the NMP mapping of the area. However no convincing evidence for the airstrip, the military buildings or associated defences was identified.

The site is completely obscured by clouds on the US AAF 1944 photos (S2). This is unfortunate as the airstrip is meant to have continued in use until 1944 (S1). The nissen huts formerly recorded as being to the east of the runway (S1), must have already been removed by September 1945 (S3). The disturbance, clearance and digging obviously being undertaken on the farm looks very recent and may well relate to the clearance of any remaining military features (S3).
(S1-3).
S. Massey (NMP), 29 March 2005.

Island of slightly higher ground surrounded by grazing marsh which is accessed via Martham Ferry. The site contains the remains of an eighteenth-century farmstead and later farm buildings. Despite persistent rumours of a secret airfield at this location, no clear evidence has been produced.
(S4) provides a detailed account of the history of this site and refutes the evidence so far given for the existence of any secret airfield.
A. Yardy (HES), 27 November 2017.

Monument Types

  • FARMSTEAD (18th Century to Unknown - 1792 AD?)
  • (Former Type) AIRFIELD (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
  • (Former Type) MILITARY AIRFIELD (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2003. Rare chance to see a 'secret' reserve. 14 August.
<S1>Publication: Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum. 1989. Airfields and Airstrips of Norfolk and Suffolk. 6.
<S2>Vertical Aerial Photograph: USAAF. 1944. US/7PH/GP/LOC298 5019 20-APR-1944 (NMR).
<S3>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1945. RAF 106G/UK/832 4202-3 23-SEP-1945 (Norfolk SMR TG 4420A, TG 4421A).
<S4>Website: Simak, E.. 2015. Geograph: Heigham Holmes. http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Heigham-Holmes. 27 November 2017.

Related records - none

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