NHER 53138 (Monument record) - Rifle ranges on Cawston Heath

An earthwork bank is shown on the current Ordnance Survey Mastermap (S1), in an area labelled 'Rifle Range' on Cawston Heath. It measures approximately 52m north to south by 14m east to west. Targets are located to the west, but none appear to be located on the bank.
The bank is also shown on the Ordnance Survey 1st edition 6 inch map (S2), on which it is labelled 'Targets'. The area to the west of the bank is labelled 'Rifle Range' with various distances from the targets annotated (from 100 to 800 yards).
The bank is the only rifle range feature on (S1) to appear on (S2).
D. Robertson (NLA), 17 November 2009.

The whole rifle range is visible on (S2), including targets spaced at 100 yard intervals up to a distance of 800 yards. For this reason the mapping has been extended to include the previous extent of the range.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 4 December 2009.

The rifle range visible on (S2) is also visible on (S3). In additon, a series of banks and areas of disturbance associated with a second rifle range are also visible on (S3). The western end of this second rifle range is to the north of the first. Both rifle ranges converge at the eastern end of the site.
The HER mapping has been revised to include the extent of both rifle ranges.
The second rifle range was presumably constructed between the 1880s and 1946.
D. Robertson (HES), 2 September 2013.

August 2013. Field visit.
A number of banks, mounds and structures associated with the rifle range survive as earthworks. These include a substantial mound with an associated quarry ditch, a bank retained by a brick wall and a brick structure at the eastern end of the range.
D. Robertson (HES), 2 September 2013.

September 2021. Aylsham and Brampton Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AIM) Project.
The previously recorded post medieval and Second World War rifle ranges (see above) can be seen as earthworks on aerial photographs and visualised lidar data (S4-S7). Features relating to the post medieval alignments of the rifle range, such as the targets and extractive pits, can be seen clearly on the aerial photographs with some of the features surviving on the recent (2017) visualised lidar data (S7). On the 1940s (S5) aerial photographs there is a large amount of ground disturbance and trackways (mapped by extent) most likely relating to the Second World War use of the rifle range. A number of small Second World War structures can be seen in amongst the earthworks. These structures were most likely for military training and possibly for observation. The majority of the structures have been removed by the 1960s (S6) with the structure at TG 1654 2359 possibly surviving as a low earthwork on the visualised lidar data. Second World War explosive craters and possible slit trenches relating to the wider area of military training on Cawston heath (NHER 64231) can be seen in close proximity around the rifle range.
J. Powell (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 02 September 2021.