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Summary

Radar station at East of coastguard cottages at Prawle Point. Probably served as the Remote Reserve for the major Chain Home radar base at West Prawle.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and structures for Prawle Point World War II Radar Station, relict banks of a prehistoric field system and remains of a Napoleonic signal station at Signal House Point

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1413133
• National Monuments Record: 619162
• National Trust SMR: 100593
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX73NE/53
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RADAR STATION (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151930.

Slides/(04/01/1996)/in SMR.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151931.

National Trust/(28/11/1994)/Letter in DOB file.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151932.

Dobinson, C. S. /20th Century Fortifications in England/VII 2(2000)/Acoustics and radar/Appendices.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 3004-5 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

The radar receiver block is visible as a series of structures.

National Trust, 1994, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151926.

West Prawle Chain Home radar had a remote reserve (National Trust).

Horner, W., 1996, Prawle Point Radar Station (Worksheet). SDV357193.

Site visit on 4th January 1996. Radar station to east of coastguard cottages at Prawle Point. Probably served as the Remote Reserve for the major Chain Home radar base at West Prawle (SX73NE/52). Three earth revetted receiver/transmitter blocks are visible beside the coast path. The concrete bases of the radar aerial masts are heaped at the head of Western Cove and at the entrance to one of the bunkers. Notes and plans with worksheet.

Jury, R., 1997, Prawle Point Low Level/Coast Defence Radar Site (Worksheet). SDV357195.

Site visit on 9th February 1997. Two substantial earth-covered bunkers some way from the other Prawle Radar Stations.

Environment Agency, 1998-2008, Lidar Data JPEG Tile SX73NE DSM, LIDAR SX73NE DSM Environment Agency MAY-1998-APR-2008 (Cartographic). SDV351145.

The remains of the radar receiver block are visible.

Dobinson, C. S., 2000, Acoustics and radar, 161 (Report - non-specific). SDV325097.

Radar station 14M prawle point. Remote Reserve for West Prawle Chain Home station. Documented 28/8/1941. Also served as Chain Home Low station. Dobinson quotes a slightly differrent NGR of SX773351 for the RR station.

Next Perspectives, 2006, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph, NEXT Perspectives PGA Imagery SX7735 03-JUN-2006 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351300.

Structural and earthwork remains are visible.

Passmore, M. + Passmore, A., 2006, WWII RAF Radar Receiver Block Prawle Point, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV347421.

Passmore, M. + Passmore, A., 2006, WWII RAF Radar Receiver Block Prawle Point, Devon, 2 (Report - Survey). SDV347421.

A remote reserve for RAF West Prawle was established at Prawle Point, some 2 kilometres from the main station. Three structures can still be identified at the site, a Type C receiver block, a collapsed transmitter block and a generator house. The remote reserve facility would have been brought into use had RAF West Prawle experienced failure or difficulties. There is no trace of other structures or features, although some pieces of concrete can be seen at the base of the cliffs and others have been used to block parts of the generator house. It is known from discussions with a local resident and from a photograph in a private collection that a guard hut and four handcraft buildings completed the site layout.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Passmore, M. + Passmore, A., 2011, Royal Air Force Air-Defence Radar Station West Prawle, 3-4 (Leaflet). SDV347322.

A remote reserve site was established at Prawle Point on the coast, where today a Type C receiver block can be seen, and where the remains of a generator house stand on private land. Other details: Photographs.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

The Second World War radar receiver block at Prawle Point is visible as a range of earthworks and structures on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards. Three main structures, including a Type C receiver block, transmitter block and a generator house are visible along the cliff edge and connected by a pathway. These are visible as sub-circular to sub-oval structures with possible earthwork banks which measure between 47 to 85m in length. Aerial photographs of 1946, however, show these structures to be entirely camouflaged by what resembles three framed structures covered with possible canvas or netting. Two radar masts to the east and west are also present, as well as three buildings located at the main entrance into the site to the west. The site is partly bound by barbed-wire entanglements to the east and south. Structural and earthwork remains of the radar receiver block remain visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2006 and on LiDAR images captured between 1998-2008.

Pink, F., 2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment (Interpretation). SDV357736.

Horner, W., 27/07/2006, Prawle Point Information Panel (Correspondence). SDV358338.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV151926	Migrated Record: National Trust. 1994.
SDV151930	Migrated Record:
SDV151931	Migrated Record:
SDV151932	Migrated Record:
SDV325097	Report - non-specific: Dobinson, C. S.. 2000. Acoustics and radar. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England. VII. A4 Stapled + Digital. 161.
SDV346129	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2011. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital).
SDV347322	Leaflet: Passmore, M. + Passmore, A.. 2011. Royal Air Force Air-Defence Radar Station West Prawle. A Brief Introduction to Twentieth Century Military and Civil Defence Archae. 40. A4 Folded + digital. 3-4.
SDV347421	Report - Survey: Passmore, M. + Passmore, A.. 2006. WWII RAF Radar Receiver Block Prawle Point, Devon. A4 Stapled + Digital. 2.
SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 3004-5 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #95082 ]
SDV351145	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2008. Lidar Data JPEG Tile SX73NE DSM. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX73NE DSM Environment Agency MAY-1998-APR-2008.
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV351300	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2006. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. NEXT Perspectives PGA Imagery SX7735 03-JUN-2006.
SDV357193	Worksheet: Horner, W.. 1996. Prawle Point Radar Station. Defence of Britain Project. Worksheet + Digital.
SDV357195	Worksheet: Jury, R.. 1997. Prawle Point Low Level/Coast Defence Radar Site. Defence of Britain Project. Worksheet + Digital.
SDV357736	Interpretation: Pink, F.. 2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment. AC Archaeology Report. ACD618/4/3. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV358338	Correspondence: Horner, W.. 27/07/2006. Prawle Point Information Panel. Emails.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV5107 - Measured Survey of WWII Radar Receiver Block, Prawle Point
• EDV6587 - Archaeological Assessment of Land between Bolt Heat and Bolt Tail

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