Scheduled Monument: World War II Eastern Command Line at Chappel Viaduct (1020687)
Please read our guidance page about the Local List and other heritage designations.
Authority | Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) |
---|---|
Date assigned | 16 October 2002 |
Date last amended |
Description
The monument includes a stretch of the World War II defence or ‘stop line’ known as The Eastern Command Line which was constructed in 1940 as part of a series of lines of defence to counter the threat of a cross-channel invasion by German forces from occupied France. The Eastern Command Line was the longest and most heavily fortified position in East Anglia and ran from Wivenhoe on the Essex coast to The Wash west of Kings Lynn. Part of the defensive line runs to the north of the town of Colchester before following the River Colne westwards to Chappel Viaduct at which point it turns to run north along the railway leading to Bures. The viaduct represents a gap in the natural barrier afforded by the river and the man-made protection of the railway embankment. Consequently it was heavily fortified with pillboxes, gun emplacements and anti-tank barriers. The defences include examples of the four major types of pillbox built along the Eastern Command Line (nodal point, artillery, infantry and anti-aircraft) in addition to lines of anti-tank cubes and two spigot mortar emplacements.
For full description, see scheduling notes. <1>
External Links (1)
- View details on the National Heritage List for England (From EH UDS to Legacy x-reference)
Sources (1)
- SCC876 Scheduling record: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). 2002. World War II Eastern Command Line at Chappel Viaduct. Source 1.
Location
Grid reference | Centred TL 8964 2841 (264m by 207m) |
---|---|
Map sheet | TL82NE |
Civil Parish | CHAPPEL, COLCHESTER, ESSEX |
Civil Parish | WAKES COLNE, COLCHESTER, ESSEX |
Related Monuments/Buildings (9)
- WWII Anti-Tank Blocks, N of Colchester Road, Chappel Viaduct, Chappel (Monument) (MCC5132)
- WWII Anti-Tank Blocks, S of Colchester Road, Chappel Viaduct, Chappel (Monument) (MCC5130)
- WWII Pillbox, Chappel Bridge, Chappel (Monument) (MCC4798)
- WWII Pillbox, east side of Railway Embankment, north of Chappel Viaduct, Wakes Colne (Monument) (MCC4801)
- WWII Pillbox, north of Colchester Road, Chappel Viaduct, Wakes Colne (Monument) (MCC4800)
- WWII Pillbox, South of Colchester Road, Chappel Viaduct, Wakes Colne (Monument) (MCC4799)
- WWII Pillbox, South of the River Colne, Chappel (Monument) (MCC4797)
- WWII Spigot Mortar Emplacement, Chappel Viaduct, Chappel (Monument) (MCC5128)
- WWII Spigot Mortar Emplacement, Chappel Viaduct, Chappel (Monument) (MCC5127)
Record last edited
Nov 6 2019 4:47PM