Monument record MDO41372 - Possible Second World war anti-aircraft battery, Northbourne, Bournemouth

A group of possible partially demolished structures on the north side of Northbourne are visible on aerial photographs. The features may be the remains of former buildings, possibly of modern date; three of the structures appear to be truncated on their south sides by what is now Kinson Park Road but in turn appear to overlie a linear feature which may be the outline layout of what is now North Avenue. This may indicate relatively short-lived structures, possibly constructed during a suspension of housing construction at this location during the Second World War. The site morphology suggests that this is an anti-aircraft battery. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

A group of possible partially demolished structures on the north side of Northbourne are visible on aerial photographs (1).

The features comprise five sub-rectangular structures, four of these being between 12m and 15m long and 15m wide, the fourth being more amorphous in shape and 8m by 12m in size. Three have entrances on their west sides, one on its north side, one on its south side. The structures have irregular and uneven walling, suggesting partial demolition and wall tumble and in 1945 may be reduced to near foundation level.

The five structures form a close group on the north side of what is now Kinson Park Road; the road potentially truncating three of the features along their south sides (1). The road appears to be part of the initial layout of housing development at this location, which in 1945 contains only a few houses and the faint layout outline of some of the intended roads (including Markham Avenue, Castleton Avenue and North Avenue). The structures appear to ovelie the outline of what is now North Avenue.

The features may be the remains of a Second World War anti-aircraft battery.

The site is housing on Google Earth imagery and the features are no longer visible. They were digitally plotted from 1940s aerial photographs by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 20-MAR-45, RAF/106G/LA/187 RS 4041-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16098.

Record last edited

Oct 31 2019 1:39PM