NHER 38830 (Monument record) - World War Two air raid shelters

October 2004. Norfolk NMP.
Two possible World War Two air raid shelters are visible on Westcliffe Road and Howards Hill, Cromer (S1 and S2). The aerial photographs show a series of banks and a trench arranged around a vacant plot next to an area of housing. The southern possible shelter is visible as a low rectangular mound with possible stonework or concrete at the front. These have a similar appearance to other communal trench built shelters in Cromer (NHER 38826 and 38829). A communal air raid shelter is recorded on Howards Hill (Brooks, 1988:33) (S4), although precise location was not given, it is possible that one or both of these structures visible were part of it. The site is centred on TG 2122 4215.

The northern area, on the end of Westcliffe Road, consists of a U shaped embankment, up to 2.5m wide and with a smaller U shaped attached arrangement of banks. A narrow trench is visible running along the main eastern bank. A well-wron tracks can be seen to run from the road towards this site. In front of these banks, which were possibly covering trenches, was a large rectangular structure, measuring 7m by 4m. The fabric of this structure is not clear from the aerial photographs, it may be a temporary construction, although it is still present in 1942 (S2) and has been demolished or removed by 1946 (S3).

To the south of Howards Hill is a second area of earthworks that may be concealing the location of a communal shelter. At TG 2123 4213 is a possible rectangular concrete base or area of hard standing, measuring 6.5m by 5.5m. To the west of this is a bank running up the main road. This large area of possible stonework and the bank back onto a large raised area, projecting back towards the southern extent of the property, measuring approximately 21m by 9m. It is possible that this low mound is covering a shelter or similar structure.
S. Massey (NMP), 06 October 2004.