NHER 69161 (Structure record) - Possible World War Two emergency fire-fighting water tank, Regent Road, Great Yarmouth

April 2025. Casual Observation.
Void beneath road at c. TG 5254 0755 found to be a brick-built chamber with an arched roof and concrete-lined entrance. The entrance is clearly of 20th-century date, although the chamber could be earlier in date. It has been suggested by [1] that this is most likely one of a number of emergency fire-fighting tanks installed in Great Yarmouth during World War Two, although the previously encountered examples had been smaller and always under a pavement. Other possible interpretations for this chamber (such as a medieval undercroft or an ice house associated with the fishing industry) are much less plausible, given its appearance and position beneath the road.
It was recommended that this chamber be filled with Type 1 aggregate but this was deemed unsuitable (as it couldn’t be guaranteed to fill the void beneath the arched roof), with foam concrete used instead.
See photographs (S1) and correspondence in file.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 May 2025.