Second World War floodlight base, West of Leighams Road, Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre (EHER 20858)

Partially destroyed. The site of a Second World War floodlight and generator building, which can be seen in an aerial photograph from October 1946. The floodlight was probably constructed between 1936 and 1940 as part of an experiment to light up the night sky with a grid of large, fixed 'floodlights', as a defence against German bombers. The experiment, termed 'Silhouette', failed as the network of floodlights acted as a navigational aid for the enemy aircraft, and it was subsequently terminated in March 1940. When visited in 2005, the concrete base of both structures remained. It is one of six concrete bases to survive.

January 2005. World War Two Defences in Chelmsford survey: site visit and desktop research. An aerial photograph taken in October 1946 shows an experimental 'floodlight' standing in a field to the west of Leigham's Road. The base of its generator building can be seen a few yards away to the north. <1> The site, when visited in January 2005, is an area of grassland with scattered bushes, part of 'Niagara', a chicken farm. The bases of both the floodlight and the generator building still survive, half-hidden in the long grass. Typical of such sites, the floodlight base takes the form of a hollow ring of concrete, about 45’ in diameter. The steel framework which held the twelve large reflecting mirrors would have been mounted on this base, although all trace of the steel is now gone. Along one edge, a small pit shows where the power cables would have come in from the generator. <2> Four photos of site. <3> During the late 1930s/early 1940s (probably 1936-1940), an experiment was conducted to light up the night sky with a grid of large, fixed 'floodlights', as a defence against German bombers. Each installation consisted of a steel enclosure, 50 feet across, in which the floodlight was mounted, surrounded by twelve large mirrors angled towards the sky. Information on the experiment is still scarce; an enquiry to the Imperial War Museum has been unsuccessful. Enquiries by Mr F. Plume at the Public Record Office (PRO) in 1992/1993 have resolved some of the questions. <4> <5> A map drawn by Mr Plume in 1999, from his earlier investigations, shows 50 sites in Essex, located in an area from Little Leighs in the North to Eastwick in the South. It is not known whether this was the complete grid (although one floodlight is known to have been sited at Dovercourt, EHER 10715) or whether the experiment overlapped to other counties. The experiment was not a success - it is said that the light reflecting from the clouds lit up the countryside as a perfect navigational aid for the bombers, and the work was terminated in March 1940. <6> <7> The project was termed 'Silhouette'. <8> See EHER 20565 for details of the only known remaining example of a Second World War floodlight from this experiment in Essex. Note: This monument is one of six floodlights from the original 50 where the concrete base is known to survive. See also EHER 10715, EHER 20661, EHER 20875, EHER 20978 and EHER 20999.