NHER 52498 (Monument record) - Site of World War Two road block at Keswick Mill

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Summary

A World War Two road block is evident as structures visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The road block consisted of several rows of sockets in the road surface, into which pins or rails could be placed, flanked by concrete anti-tank cubes. It was presumably sited to control access to and/or from the river crossing at Keswick mill 30m to the northwest, and is one of several defences and other military structures visible in this area (NHER 52499, 32530). One of these, a Home Guard Shelter (NHER 32530) may indicate that the road block was manned by the Home Guard. It is not known whether any trace of the site still survives today.

Protected Status/Designation

None recorded

Location

Map sheet	TG20NW
Civil Parish	KESWICK, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

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Full Description

November 2009. Norfolk NMP.
A World War Two road block is visible as a group of structures on aerial photographs (S1)-(S4), centred at TG 2118 0511. It was presumably sited to control access to and/or from the river crossing at Keswick mill 30m to the northwest, and is one of several defences and other military structures visible in this area (NHER 52499, 32530). One of these, a Home Guard Shelter (NHER 32530), may indicate that the road block was manned by the Home Guard.
The road block consisted of five rows of sockets in the surface of the road into which anti-tank rails or pins could be placed (only the sockets are visible). These were flanked by concrete anti-tank cubes. Although some elements of the road block remain visible on post-war aerial photographs (for example (S4)), whether any element of the site still survives today is not known.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 30 November 2009.

Associated Sources (4)

<S1> SNF75477 Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1942. RAF HLA/447 2118-9 30-APR-1942 (NMR).
<S2> SNF75478 Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1945. RAF 106G/UK/772 6005-6 06-SEP-1945 (NMR).
<S3> SNF75479 Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1945. RAF 106G/UK/772 6109-10 06-SEP-1945 (NMR).
<S4> SNF75480 Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1947. RAF CPE/UK/2003 5089-90 14-APR-1947 (NMR).

Site and Feature Types and Periods (8)

Object Types (0)

Related NHER Records (1)

Chronological: NHER 52499 - Related to: Site of World War Two spigot mortar emplacement (Monument)

Record last edited

Jan 30 2026 2:56PM