NHER 26636 (Monument record) - Post medieval sea defence banks

August 2001. Norfolk NMP.
Post-medieval sea defences in the form of earthwork banks can be determined on a range of different sources. An irregular/trapezoidal arrangement of banks depicted on Faden’s map of Norfolk (1797) (S2), and still standing as extant earthworks on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey (1902-7) (S3). The features can be seen clearly on the RAF 1946 vertical aerial photographs (S1), although likely to be in a modified form. The coastal stretch of the bank has been altered from its original route in places, but these alterations seem to have occurred since 1946. Curiously the coastal stretch of this bank is not depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey (1820) (S4) or Bryant’s map (1826) (S5) although it was certainly in existence by these dates.
The westernmost earthwork runs parallel to the coast, northwards from the saltmarsh north of Snettisham Harbour, for approximately 1.3km (TF 65008 31124 to 64995 32451). It has a width of around 10 to 15m. The bank then turns eastwards and takes a meandering course following the southern bank of the Ingol channel (TF 65028 32441 to 65460 32824). An adjoining bank has a meandering, irregular course southwards from this one (TF 65349 32577 to 66004 31547) before turning west and joining up with the coastal bank (TF 65948 31385 to 65008 31124). (These last two sections are recorded under NHER 26631).
H. Clare (NMP), 9 August 2001.