NHER 27207 (Monument record) - Earthwork of post medieval sea defence bank

January 2003. Norfolk NMP.
The feature is aligned in a northwest to southeast direction, with an approximate length of 1km, and a maximum width of 12m. The bank has an unusually straight appearance although there is a kink approximately 90m from the southern end (TF 5888 2412) where the bank turns towards the east, appearing to butt up against bank 27079. This bank, together with sea defence bank 27209 enclose a thin elongated strip of level land on the reclaimed saltmarsh measuring approximately 880 long and 62m wide. The buildings at the rear of artillery battery NHER 25792 are constructed on top of the bank.
The purpose of this bank is a mystery, and I’m still searching for a clue. The bank on the eastern, seaward side (NHER 27209) is almost certainly the earlier of the two banks, as depicted on 18th and 19th century maps (S2-3), which in effect renders this feature unnecessary from a sea-defence point of view. The bank may have acted as a back-up or secondary flood defence, possibly because NHER 27209 had been breached at this point, but the simpler solution would surely be to repair the original bank? This bank is also suspiciously straight, even by sea bank standards. It may have originally been intended to flood the enclosed narrow strip for an industrial or agricultural activity, but this also seems unlikely. It is a bank of mystery.
M. Brennand (NMP), 20 January 2003.