NHER 26762 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Post medieval sea defence bank to the west of Thornham harbour

January 2001. NMP.
A continuous length of earthwork bank with various extensions and offshoots can be seen on 1945 aerial photographs (S1) in the area of TF 71 44. The feature is also visible on a 1971 aerial photograph (S2) - little altered. The course of the bank is also shown on the Ordance Survey 2nd edition map (S3) - depicted as an earthwork. It also appears on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map (S4), following virtually the same course as on the modern aerial photographs. The location and extent of the earthwork point to it being a major component of the sea defences in this area. It skirts the south of the salt marshes, presumably enabling the reclamation of land to the south of the bank. The bank extends some 2.5km west into Holme-next-the -Sea parish - this section is recorded under NHER 26761.

The section of bank in Holme-next-the-Sea is depicted, in simple form, on (S5). The bank was obviously in existence by the early 19th century, and appears to have been improved and extended throughout the course of the 19th century, until it reached a form recognisable in today's feature, around 1900. This would suggest that the bank feature NHER 26763 is more likely to be a previous land reclamation attempt, of post medieval date. The only unusual feature of this bank is that at its eastern end, a second bank at TF 7277 4413 to TF 7281 4391 has formed an enclosure. Whether or not this had a specific function, such as for the fishing/shellfish industry, is unclear.
A. Hunt (NMP), 24 January 2001.

May-November 2004. Norfolk Rapid Coastal Zone Archaeological Survey.
Inter-tidal survey (Environmental Zone 7), Context 1035:
A modern sea bank located on the western side of Thornham harbour. It may overlie an earlier bank.
See assessment report (S6) for further details.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.421).
J. Allen (NLA), 15 April 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2019.