Site of Second World War road barrier, Brightlingsea Road (EHER 21332)

Second World War road barrier, now destroyed.

Contemporary records state 'Road Barrier. Coopers Hill, Brightlingsea. Map ref. 528373.' (Mil. Ed.) <1> The map reference places the barrier on the Brightlingsea Road where it takes a double bend at the bottom of two hills. Here, a pillbox still stands, undoubtedly to protect the road barrier. The natural anti-tank defences occasioned by cuttings on both sides of the road would surely have been utilised to prevent the road, the only made-up access onto the Brightlingsea peninsular, being bypassed. The barrier probably ran between a stream cutting on the south side, just a few yards from the pillbox, to a now overgrown drainage ditch on the north side. Nothing of the barrier now remains.