Scheduled Monuments›England›Hunsdon World War II airfield defences

Hunsdon World War II airfield defences

England
List entry 1020748
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020748
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.61 hectares
Grid reference
TL4159713870, TL4202214232, TL 42336 14386, TL 42351 14252, TL 42512 14218, TL 42474 14218, TL 42667 14482, TL 42932 14378, TL 42975 14429, TL 42809 13515, TL 42819 13387, TL 42522 13272, TL 41870 13523, TL 41721 13403
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Hunsdon World War II airfield defences is a scheduled ancient monument comprising a complex of military defensive structures constructed during the Second World War to protect Hunsdon airfield in Hertfordshire. The site includes concrete anti-tank obstacles, pillboxes, and associated earthworks typical of airfield defence schemes implemented across southern England during the early 1940s. These defences reflect the strategic importance of the airfield as a fighter station and the defensive measures considered necessary against potential invasion and air attack. The structures remain visible as archaeological evidence of Britain's wartime preparations and the evolution of military engineering during the conflict.

Hunsdon World War II airfield defences is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020748. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hunsdon World War II airfield defences?

Hunsdon World War II airfield defences is a scheduled ancient monument comprising a complex of military defensive structures constructed during the Second World War to protect Hunsdon airfield in Hertfordshire.

Who is responsible for protecting Hunsdon World War II airfield defences?

Hunsdon World War II airfield defences is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1020748.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hunsdon World War II airfield defences?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Site of Parndon Hall (3.5 km), Bowl barrow 230m north of Harlow Hospital (4.1 km), Bowl barrow 140m north of Harlow Hospital (4.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Hunsdon World War II airfield defences

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Hunsdon World War II airfield defences's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Site of Parndon Hall
3.5 km
Bowl barrow 230m north of Harlow Hospital
4.1 km
Bowl barrow 140m north of Harlow Hospital
4.3 km
Bowl barrow 110m north-east of Harlow Hospital
4.4 km
Passmores House moated site, immediately south of Todd Brook
5.5 km
Netteswellbury Barn, Netteswell
5.7 km
Cold War Heavy Anti-aircraft gun site, 330m and 220m north east of Halls Green Farm
5.8 km
Rye House moated enclosure and gatehouse
6.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hunsdon World War II airfield defences

Hunsdon World War II airfield defences stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The wider landscape

Around Hunsdon World War II airfield defences

Great ChesterfordRoman town · ~18.3 milesSt AlbansRoman town · ~18.9 milesLondonRoman town · ~21.7 milesBattle of Barnet 1471Battle (1471) · ~15.5 miles
Domesday entry for Hunsdon, Hertfordshire →
All Scheduled Monuments