Monument record MDO45344 - Second World War bombing range, Launceston Down, Long Crichel and Tarrant Launceston

Part of a Second World War bombing range is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s, but has subsequently been ploughed out. The area covered extends over an amorphous area that measures a maximum of 1420m long by 935m wide on Launceston Down. The bombing range continues to the north, beyond the Tarrant Launceston 15 and environs project area. It comprises a large number of circular bomb craters dispersed over the area, which was open common prior to the war. The bomb craters each comprise a circular depression which measures between 2.5m and 8m in diameter and is surrounded by a white area of up-cast chalk. The different sizes of crater indicate that a range of bombs were used for practice. Some of the bombs have damaged earlier monuments. Several chalk bombing range markers are dispersed over Launceston Down and two observation towers are located at the eastern edge of the common. The site had been levelled by ploughing on aerial photographs taken in 1953, when many of the bomb craters are visible as soilmarks.

Part of a Second World War bombing range is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s, but has subsequently been ploughed out. The area covered by this record is centred at ST 9575 1068 and extends over an amorphous area that measures a maximum of 1420m long by 935m wide on Launceston Down. The bombing range continues to the north, beyond the project area.

The bombing range comprises a large number of bomb craters dispersed over the area, which was open common prior to the war. The bomb craters each comprise a circular depression which measures between 2.5m and 8m in diameter and is surrounded by a white area of up-cast chalk. The different sizes of crater indicate that a range of bombs were used for practice.

Some of the bombs have damaged earlier monuments such as the numerous Bronze Age round barrows (see ST 91 SE 59 / UID: 210103) and the Post Medieval sheepfold (see ST 91 SE 240 / UID: 1480762). Several chalk bombing range markers are dispersed over Launceston Down and two observation towers are located at the eastern edge of the common (see Associated Monuments). The site had been levelled by ploughing on aerial photographs taken in 1953, when many of the bomb craters are visible as soilmarks. <1-3>

<1> Royal Air Force, 13-JAN-1943, NMR RAF/HLA/651 1136-1137 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19184.

<2> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 2149-2150 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18433.

<3> Royal Air Force, 20-APR-1953, NMR RAF/58/1090 F22 0125-0126 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19223.

<4> Bishop, Sharon, 2009, Tarrant Launceston 15 & Environs. Aerial Photograph Survey & Analysis, Object Number: MD002384 (Unpublished document). SDO12459.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1481331 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 26 2023 10:59AM