NHER 42524 (Monument record) - A World War Two spigot mortar emplacement on Sidegate Road

SITE WAS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED UNDER NHER 11788 (context 16).

October 1995. Norfolk Defensive Structures Survey No. RDS-56. 100m south of Sidegate Farm, Woodfarm Lane.
On east side of road.
World War Two spigot mortar base.
See record form (S1) in file.
J. Allen (NLA), 8 August 2006.

February 2006. Norfolk NMP.
A World War Two spigot mortar emplacement was recorded on the east side of Sidegate Road by the Norfolk Defensive Structures Survey (S1). This is possibly visible on the aerial photographs, although the structure is not particularly clear (S2). This structure forms part of a much wider network of defences, which consists of a long distance anti-tank ditch, barbed wire obstruction, roadblocks, pillboxes and gun emplacements, see NHER 42262 for details. Some of these structures survive and have been recorded by the Norfolk Defensive Structures Survey, see NHER 42522- 42530.

At TG 5150 0088 is a possible spigot structure projecting out of the field boundary in 1945 (S2), although the concrete base cannot be seen particularly clearly. It is possible that it has been camouflaged. This location is also slightly to the north of the point given by the Norfolk Defensive Structures Survey (S1), although this is only likely to have been an approximate location. However near to this more southern point is a tree within the field boundary, so it is also possible that the spigot mortar emplacement base recorded on the ground is hidden by the tree foliage on the aerial photographs.
S. Massey (NMP), 15 February 2006.