MSO7609 - Hill Road (Monument)

Summary

A concrete road constructed for military use during World War Two. It remains in good condition and now forms the main route along North Hill to Selworthy Beacon.

Please read the Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record .

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A concrete road was constructed on North Hill by the army during World War Two. The road is in good condition and now forms the main route along North Hill to Selworthy Beacon. It runs from SS 9106 4767 to SS 9631 4668. At the head of Woodcombe (SS 9455 4743) substantial mounds of soil are visible on the southern side of the road; these are dumps of overburden bulldozed to one side as part of the construction process of the road. The road was presumably used by the military to gain access to the tank training area at the western end of North Hill (MSO7616). Recorded as part of RCHME fieldwork on the Exmoor National Park holding on North Hill. [1,2] SS 9564 4718 Two Second World War military roads, visible as structures, were mapped from aerial photographs taken in 1946. Located on Minehead's North Hill, the roads are associated with the extensive military training area and tank firing range that covered North Hill during the war. The main road, now named Hill Road, runs roughly northwest to southeast for about 1600 metres long (SS 9500 4760 to SS 9631 4761). It is between 5.5 and 7 metres wide and was constructed from concrete by the military to provide the main access, connecting via Moor Road, for tanks and other vehicles from their disembarkation point at Minehead railway station, through the town to the training site, marshalling area and Selworthy Beacon. On North Hill, a second unsealed road, about 4.5 to 7 metres wide, branches off the concrete road opposite Whitecross Plantation and runs parallel to it for about 1000 metres before rejoining it at the west end of Moor Wood. This road may have provided a means of controlling military traffic to and from the firing range and also provided access to a wartime army camp, near Camp Reservoir. The roads are still extant in 1993. [3-6] The road is labelled Hill Road on 2020 MasterMap data. [7] The road was also recorded by McDonnell. [3,8-9]

Sources/Archives (9)

  • <1> Unpublished document: Wilson-North, R.. Field Investigators Comments. RCHME Field Investigation, 13 November 1997.
  • <2> Report: Riley, H. and Wilson-North, R.. 1997. The field archaeology of North Hill: An archaeological survey of the Exmoor National Park holding.
  • <3> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. RAF 106G/UK/1655 3007-3017 (11 July 1946).
  • <4> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. RAF 106G/UK/1655 3109-3110 (11 July 1946).
  • <5> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR/OS 93297 038-039 (16 August 1993).
  • <6> Archive: Severn Estuary Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment: SS 94 NW. MD000133.
  • <7>XY Map: Ordnance Survey. 2020. MasterMap data. 1:2,500. [Mapped features: #38322 ; #38323 ]
  • <8> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. HSL/YK/71-177 91/8681, 95/8742 (September 1971).
  • <9>XY Unpublished document: McDonnell, R.. 1980. Gazetteer of Sites in the Exmoor National Park Identified through Aerial Photography. SS9147C, SS9247A, SS9347C, SS9447D. [Mapped feature: #46815 SS9147C]

External Links (1)

Other Statuses/References

  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MMO644
  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MSO12461
  • Local List Status (Unassessed)
  • National Monuments Record reference: SS 94 NW96
  • National Park: Exmoor National Park
  • National Trust HER Record
  • Pastscape HOBID (was Monarch UID): 1102269
  • Somerset SMR PRN: 35662

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred SS 9370 4736 (5230m by 1361m) (Centred on)
Map sheet SS94NW
Civil Parish MINEHEAD, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET
Civil Parish MINEHEAD WITHOUT, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET
Civil Parish SELWORTHY, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (4)

Related Events/Activities (3)

Related Articles (1)

Record last edited

Jan 25 2021 2:02PM

Feedback?

Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.