NHER 53238 (Monument) - Site of World War Two bomb crater and/or emergency water supply

June 2010. Norfolk NMP.
A probable World War Two bomb crater is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs taken in 1942 (S1), centred at TG 2079 0809; several other craters are visible in the surrounding area on photographs of the same date (NHER 53635, for example). Photographs of this area taken in 1945 (S2) show the site occupied by a square embanked pond or reservoir, possibly constructed to provide an emergency supply of water for fire fighting following bombing raids; a few reservoirs of this type have been identified elsewhere in Norwich (such as NHER 53622), although they are vastly outnumbered by the more typical circular water tanks. Whether the postulated reservoir simply made use of an existing bomb crater, or whether the crater is in fact the groundworks for the reservoir is not clear, but the former seems more likely given the similarity of the supposed crater to others in the area.
The crater has been mapped schematically to provide a representation of its location and size, rather than a detailed record of its outline and ‘halo’ of upcast material. The reservoir has not been mapped.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 15 June 2010.