MMO3191 - Possible World War Two military training site on Withypool Hill (Monument)

A small mound is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as an earthwork on Withypool Hill. The age and function of the mound are uncertain but it may be associated with military training activities of Second World War date.

A small mound is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as an earthwork on Withypool Hill, centred on circa SS 8395 3445. The mound is roughly circular in shape and approximately 7 metres in diameter, the edge of the feature defined by a narrow and low earthwork bank about one metre wide. The age and function of the mound are uncertain but it may be associated with military training activities of Second World War date; three further similar earthworks can be seen on Withypool Hill in the general area of vehicle tracks, indicative of military training activities. Due to the dense vegetation on Withypool Hill the current condition of this feature cannot be ascertained from the aerial photographs available to the survey. [1,2] A field survey was undertaken in 2017 as part of a desk based assessment of Withypool Hill. This identified a shallow depression measuring 6 metres long (east to west) by 5.76 metres (north to south) by 0.4 metres deep at this location, with a slight bank on its northeast side only. The feature is clear of grass and heather, and may be being used by animals for shelter; no associated erosion is present. It is also visible on LiDAR data as a very small depression. A geophysical survey of the site also noted a resistance anomaly group here and the magnetometry survey recorded what was suggested to be disturbed ground with some ferrous material close by. [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]