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Summary

A number of structures and earthworks of banks and cuttings of a Second World War Royal Navy transit camp are visible on aerial photographs taken from 1946 onwards. Remains of the camp are visible in 1955 following tree clearance of Bedpark Plantation. The plantation has since been replanted, although earthworks and several structures of the former camp are extant.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX55SE/104

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 4111 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Heavily wooded area shown.There are a group of buildings, possibly military, recorded at SX57815313.

Royal Air Force, 1955, RAF/540/1625, RAF/540/1625 F21 37-38 24-MAY-1955 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351141.

Bedpark Plantation has been completely cleared of trees, exposing a number of structures and earthwork banks. The camp has been largely cleared.

Royal Air Force, 1955, RAF/540/1625, RAF/540/1625 F22 37-38 24-MAY-1955 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351141.

Bedpark Plantation has been completely cleared of trees, exposing a number of structures, earthwork banks and building platforms. The camp has been largely cleared.

Royal Air Force, 1962, RAF/58/5095, RAF/58/5095 F22 96-97 01-MAY-1962 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351597.

The camp has been further cleared, although several structures and access tracks are extant, as well as earthworks and vegetation marks of former structures.

Ordnance Survey, 1987, OS/87110, OS/87110 V 55-56 16-AUG-1987 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363042.

Bedpark Plantation has been replanted and the former camp is under dense tree cover.

Horner, W., 1996, Bedpark Plantation (Worksheet). SDV151286.

A Royal Navy transit camp was established at Bedpark Plantation in the early 1940s. According to A. L. Clamp who visited the site in August 1995, various walls, a tower and parts of brick buildings are still visible but are heavily overgrown. It is unclear from the Royal Air Force aerial photograph if the site was in the woods or just to the north. Buildings are visible at SX57815313, but current maps show an L-shaped block within the woods at SX57515279.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5752 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Earthworks of banks and building terraces are visible.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A large number of structures and earthworks of banks and cuttings of a Second World War Royal Navy transit camp are visible on aerial photographs taken from 1946 onwards. The camp occupies an area of circa 8.3 hectares within Bedpark Plantation. It is almost completely obscured by tree cover in 1946, although several Nissen hut type structures are visible amongst the trees. By 1955, the plantation has been completely cleared, exposing a dense concentration of hut bases of former structures, most of which show evidence of being embanked to provide protection against the threat from enemy bombers. Several structures, are however, extant. Access tracks follow the northeast, south and northwest perimeter of the camp and extend from the main road adjacent to Stonycross Lodge to the east, with fenced entrance point visible to the west at circa SX57375278. By 1962, the camp has been further cleared and levelled, although several structures and access tracks are extant, as well as earthworks and vegetation marks of former structures. The plantation has been replanted by 1987 and the former camp is under dense tree cover. Evidence of the camp is, however, clearly visible as earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017 and structures are also shown in this location on the 2019 Ordnance Survey MasterMap. In accordance with standard AI&M recording methodology, those features which are shown on modern digital mapping have not been transcribed. An additional range of earthworks and structures of military origin and likely associated with this camp are visible in proximity to the north at Lyneham House (MDV126595), although these have been recorded as a separate monument given the uncertain relationship between the two sites.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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