NHER 70223 (Monument record) - Undated possible pits, post-medieval field boundaries and remains of World War Two airfield

March 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
As would be expected, the bulk of the anomalies recorded are likely to relate to the airfield established at this location during World War Two (NHER 2455). These include three broad magnetically disturbed strips that represent the remains of the main runways. The magnetic anomalies are more concentrated at the margins of these bands, likely due to the presence of associated underground infrastructure. A narrow linear anomaly running adjacent to and parallel with the main east-to-west aligned runway potentially represents the remains of a fuel line for the airfield's petrol 'Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO)' system, which was installed in 1943. A group of strong anomalies surrounded by weaker disturbances at TF 6292 0377 is likely to relate to the airfield's control tower, while weaker patches of disturbance to the south-west probably correspond with two of the parking lots that extended from the southern stretch of the perimeter track.
A series of straight, narrow linear anomalies represent earlier remains, these corresponding with former boundaries depicted on the Wimbotsham and Bexwell Tithe maps ((S1) and (S2)) and the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (S3) – several of which coincided with the line of the Wimbotsham/Bexwell parish boundary. Other linear responses are likely to represent more recent cultivation traces.
A number of discrete anomalies may represent archaeologically-significant pit-type features, including a group in the north-west corner of the site.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 August 2026.