Site of Second World War Road Barrier, Alton Road, Clacton-on-Sea (EHER 21215)

Site of Second World War Road Barrier, now destroyed.

WWII Defence of Clacton Contemporary records state, “Concrete pimples, dannert wire and rails. ‘The Laurels’, Marine Parade, Garden and garage runway” and “Apron wire, iron standards and dannert wire, concrete pimples N.W. corner and on garage runway. ‘Westward Ho’, Marine Parade, Front garden.” <1> A study of aerial photographs taken in July 1941 and a plan of the seafront defences drawn up in 1944 show that this was one of the few “removable” road barriers, as opposed to those “fixed” by permanent anti-tank pimples. This type of barrier, usually of the “socket and rail” type, allowed friendly traffic to pass up till the last moments before an attack. Iron rails dropped vertically into sockets across the road then sealed off the carriageway between pimples on each side. <2> <3> This barrier ran between ‘The Laurels’, which stood attached to the Beaumont Hall Hotel on the west corner of Alton Road, and ‘Westward Ho’, which was, and still is, on the east corner. <2> <3> Site visit by F. Nash, 2007 ‘The Laurels’ is now an apartment block. ‘Westward Ho’, as stated above, still remains but there is no trace of the road barrier. <4>