Summary

Road Barrier (destroyed)

Full description

Contemporary records state, “Road block. North Avenue. Map ref. 143271”. (Mil. Ed.), “Concrete cubes. 106 North Avenue” and “Concrete cubes. 175 West Avenue”. <1>

During World War Two, North and West Avenues ended at Nos. 106 and 175 respectively with open fields to the N and behind the houses to the W. To prevent tanks gaining access to these two roads, a single barrier of concrete cubes was built between the two houses, in a semi-circle perhaps 70 yards long. This can be seen on an aerial photograph taken in June 1946 . Approximately 30 cubes can be counted stretching from the NW corner of No. 106 to the NE corner of No. 175. <2>

In 2005, Partridge Avenue and Melbourne Avenue have now been built alongside the two houses and nothing survives of the cubes.

<1> unknown, 1968, War Time Contraventions 1968, Chelmsford (LIST). SEX31436.

<2> RAF, 1946, 106G-UK 1565-4394, June 1946 (AP). SEX65547.

Monument Types

• ROAD BARRIER (WWII, Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Events

• Visit by Fred Nash - July 2005 (Ref: Nash CHL Jul 2005)

Protected Status

• Historic Environment Character Zone: Chelmsford 2.20
• Historic Environment Character Area: Chelmsford 2

Sources and further reading

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