Scheduled MonumentsEnglandWorld War II bombing decoy Nazeing

World War II bombing decoy Nazeing

England
List entry 1020391
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020391
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.05 hectares
Grid reference
TL 41742 05742, TL 41730 05697
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Nazeing Decoy is a World War II air defence installation located in Essex, England. The site comprises a decoy airfield constructed during the Second World War to draw enemy bombing away from genuine military airfields in the region. Such decoys, known as Starfish sites, employed lights and dummy structures to simulate active airfields during night bombing raids. The installation represents an important example of passive air defence strategy employed by British forces between 1940 and 1945 to protect operational air bases from German attack.

World War II bombing decoy Nazeing is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020391. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is World War II bombing decoy Nazeing?

Nazeing Decoy is a World War II air defence installation located in Essex, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020391.

Who is responsible for protecting World War II bombing decoy Nazeing?

World War II bombing decoy Nazeing 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 1020391.

What other scheduled monuments are near World War II bombing decoy Nazeing?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Obelisk 325m NW of Cobbin Pond (3.9 km), The Temple, Temple Hill, Warlies Park (4.4 km), Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Factory (5.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about World War II bombing decoy Nazeing

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of World War II bombing decoy Nazeing'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under World War II bombing decoy Nazeing

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