MSO7546 - World War Two military camp on North Hill (Monument)

The concrete bases for five Nissen hut bases lie on North Hill, centred at SS 957 471. They are associated with the military use of the area in World War Two. The bases are now used as part of a camp site. They were recorded as part of the RCHME survey of the ENPA holding on North Hill. Full details in survey report. [1] SS 9574 4714. A Second World War military camp, visible as structures, was mapped from aerial photographs taken in 1946. Located on the south side of Moor Wood, to the north of Hill Road on Minehead's North Hill, the camp consists of ten Nissen huts arranged around the northwest (SS 9570 4715, SS 9571 4715, SS 9572 4716, SS 9574 4717), northeast (SS 9575 4718, SS 9577 4716, SS 9578 4714) and southwest (SS 9571 4713, SS 9572 4711, SS 9573 4710) perimeters of a 78 metres square field next to the road. Nine of the Nissen huts are of a 11.3 metres by 4 metres standard size, the remaining hut being 9 metres by 4 metres. All buildings are accessed by paths from the northwest side of the field, adjacent to Hill Road. These were probably accommodation billets for the tank training area. The American military also ran a NAAFI (PX?) on North Hill and it is possible that it was located in one of these buildings. Although still visible in 1947, the buildings were no longer visible in 1950. However, the concrete floor pads of the buildings were still extant in 1993. [2-7] Several of the bases are still clearly visible on aerial photographs taken in 2017. [8] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [9]