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Summary

A Second World War water sedimentation tank and associated pumping house between the River Caen and Challoners road. Water was taken from the river and pumped into the reservoir.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS43NE/263

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PUMP HOUSE (World War II - 1943 AD to 1943 AD)
• WATER TANK (World War II - 1943 AD to 1943 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

A large rectangular tank is visible plus a possible pumping house and pipeline from the river

Bass, R. T., 1992, Spirits of the Sand, 63 (Monograph). SDV339609.

Bass, R. T., 1996, Guide to the US Assault Training Centre North Devon, 46 (Un-published). SDV325695.

Water collecting tank beside the River Caen and Challoners Road. Water was taken from the river and pumped to a reservoir at the back of Saunton Park residential estate.

Ordnance Survey, 2026, Mastermap 2026 (Cartographic). SDV366713.

A rectangular tank is shown within the garden of Church Mead.

Historic England, 2026, Water tank at Churchmead and Fieldlynch Field, Ilfracombe Road, Braunton, Devon, EX33 2ER (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV366897.

Notification of Application to add the water tank to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.

Historic England, 2026, World War Reservoirs at Churchmead and Fairlinch Field, Braunton, Devon (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV366994.

Notification that, having taken into account all the representations made and completed an assessment of the structures it has been decided not to add the Second World War sedimentation tank and pumping house, and covered reservoir to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
They were not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest: the sedimentation tank, pumping house and covered reservoir are not directly linked to the internationally significant Operation Overlord training activities at Braunton Burrows; the structures’ claims to special interest are weaker in comparison to the sites associated with D-Day already on the List; losses including the connecting pipeline and the camp itself has further eroded any claims to special interest.
Architectural interest: the design of the structures is standard and utilitarian, and their good survival is due to their strong concrete construction.
Group value: within the contextual history of the Braunton Burrows army assault training centre and the listed structures
there, the sedimentation tank and covered reservoir are considered to have strong local interest rather than national interest.
Details
The sedimentation tank and associated pumping house, constructed in 1943 by the American army’s 398th Engineer Service Regiment as part of the accommodation and welfare infrastructure for American troops training for Operation Overlord - the D-Day landings at Normandy - at Braunton Burrows. A 1952 plan shows that the reservoir was a sedimentation (not a holding) tank with a capacity of 160,000 gallons, and that water was filtered on site before being pumped to the Fairlynch reservoir.
The tank is of shuttered reinforced concrete construction, approximately 27m long by 9m wide and about 6m deep. It is constructed in lifts forming an external profile of three steps; this also strengthened the structure. The tank is not covered or roofed. About halfway along the south wall of the tank is a metal ladder from the top into the interior. Due to dense vegetation no evidence of inlets or outlets are visible. The inside of the tank is one undivided space and has been drained.
Approximately 21m to its east is a pumping house of timber-frame construction on a concrete base, clad with corrugated metal sheet. Square in plan and with a monopitch roof it has more recently been used as a pigeon coop. Two timber beams survive in the earthen floor; these were probably used as a base for a diesel-powered pump.
The larger pumping station has been replaced with a modern dwelling, and structures (probably the filtration buildings) attached to the south side of the tank as shown on the 1959 Ordnance Survey map no longer survive.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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