MMO3236 - Possible World War Two gun emplacements northeast of North Molton Ridge (Monument)

A group of small, shallow circular pits or hollows are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946 on moorland northeast of North Molton Ridge, North Molton. This group, centred at approximately SS 7896 3309, consists of four circular pits, each with a flattened southern edge and arranged in a roughly zig-zag pattern with each pit measuring approximately 9-10 metres across. Their precise function is uncertain, but given that they only appear on 1946 photographs they may be military in origin, probably dating to the Second World War. According to Burton, large field guns were stationed across North Molton Ridge during the war, and it is possible that these shallow marks are the remains of gun emplacements. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]