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Summary

Two groups of rectangular structures, linked by linear trackways, are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1947 and are interpreted as one of two Second World War military sites in this area. One building may remain but most appear to have been removed by or soon after 1948.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILITARY SITE (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

No features are depicted in this location.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1432-1433 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

A number of rectangular structures, some narrow linear banks or fences and two trackways are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1965, RAF/58/7109, RAF/CPE/UK/2482 RS 4018-4019 10-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351186.

A few structures, cleared areas and some rectangular flat foundations are visible.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY2498 23-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359317.

Two rectangular structures are visible in the same location as the 1940s aerial photographs.

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY2498 08-SEP-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

One rectangular structure is visible in the same location as the 1940s aerial photographs.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

Several rectangular structures, laid out in pairs along two linear trackways, are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1947 to the north and east of Dickens’s Marsh. Two flat bare areas of ground may be the site of buildings that had been removed by 1947. Given their regular form and the date they are interpreted as part of a military site of Second World War date, although a specific function is hard to infer from the aerial photographs alone. Some structures appear to have flat roofs but several have curved roofs, and at 5 metres across are consistent in size and form with Nissen-type huts. One centred at 324570,99027 corresponds to the location of an extant structure visible on the 2014 aerial imagery; another immediately to its east seems to have been removed since 2010, but the rest of the structures are not visible on the available imagery after the 1940s and were presumably removed within a few years of the war ending. Some of the structures appear to have been separated by narrow banks or fences. This complex may be associated with the similar site to the north-east (MDV118569).

Sources / Further Reading

SDV325644	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV351186	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1965. RAF/58/7109. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2482 RS 4018-4019 10-MAR-1948.
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1432-1433 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #77856 ]
SDV359317	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY2498 23-MAY-2010.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359479	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2014. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY2498 08-SEP-2014.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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