40 yards to the E of Mersea Road and the pillbox at TM 0051 2298 (MCC5357) stands the pedestal of a Home Guard spigot mortar emplacement. It is located on the grassland of Middlewick Ranges and, like its partner 50 yards to the NW (MCC5358), would have been sited to cover the approach road into Colchester from the S. Although standing as a lone pedestal, an aerial photograph taken in April 1946 shows a typical spigot mortar pit with ammunition alcoves and the pedestal in the centre. The pit and alcoves probably survive below ground level. <1>

Two photos of site. <2>

SITE ASSESSMENT:
Spigot mortar emplacements are, in their own right, important and comparatively rare World War Two defence types. As an integral part of Colchester’s wartime defence structure this emplacement is also part of the town’s heritage, complementing its many older monuments. Every effort should be made to ensure its continued survival.