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Summary

Four groups of roughly circular pits on Woolacombe Down are visible on aerial photographs taken between May and July 1946. They are tentatively interpreted as the result of military training exercises in Woolacombe in the Second World War. It is possible that slight earthworks survive below vegetation cover, although some areas may have been levelled recently.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILITARY EARTHWORKS? (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1501, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1501 4267-4269 13-MAY-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349927.

Four groups of irregular shallow pits are visible as earthworks.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1655, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1631 3093-3094 08-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349996.

A number of small pits are visible as earthworks.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: SS4543 04-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349344.

The pits are not visible. Large areas of Woolacombe Down appear to have been stripped of scrub growth, and may be bare ground.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S., 2011 - 2012, North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV349018.

Four groups of roughly circular pits on Woolacombe Down are visible on aerial photographs taken between May and July 1946, covering an area of approximately 4 hectares in total. The pits are between 2 and 4 metres in diameter, and although they have been mapped as circles, their slightly irregular outline suggests that they could have been dug by individuals, or are craters from military firing that have started to revegetate. They are fairly shallow and they are not visible on any later available aerial photographs, although they are substantial enough to show clearly on aerial photographs for at least two months. A plausible interpretation is that they were created during military training exercises in the Second World War; Gunn states that the area behind the sand hills was used by the Weapons Training School from 1940. It is possible that slight earthworks survive below vegetation cover, although some areas may have been levelled recently, as some parts of Woolacombe Down appear to have been cleared of scrub and possibly reduced to bare ground in 2007.

Gunn, B., n.d. [1999], Tales of Old Woolacombe, 43 (Monograph). SDV350728.

Woolacombe Golf Course, known as the 'Golf Links', was used as a firing range for the Weapons Training School, set up in 1940.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV349018	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S.. 2011 - 2012. North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. ACD383/2/1. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV349344	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2007. Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: SS4543 04-MAY-2007.
SDV349927	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1501. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/106G/UK/1501 4267-4269 13-MAY-1946.
SDV349996	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1655. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/106G/UK/1631 3093-3094 08-JUL-1946. [Mapped features: #62788 ; #62789 ; #62790 ; #62791 ]
SDV350728	Monograph: Gunn, B.. n.d. [1999]. Tales of Old Woolacombe. Tales of Old Woolacombe. 43.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project

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