Monument record 4426/0/1 - WWII Searchlight Battery

Ring ditch seen on air photograph. A searchlight battery from World War II. On the list from Northamptonshire SMR where it is known only from documentary sources. It was probably constructed between 1939 and 1945 but its condition is uncertain at the time of the Defence of Britain survey. The site was operated by the 467 S/L Battery 73 S/L Regiment. The site is located in the Whitehills side of Boughton.

{2} Penannular ring ditch. [SMR note 23/08/2001: NAR records indicate two separate ring ditches but there may actually only be one as the Aps of 1974 mentioned in this source show the ring ditch at SP745651 not published ngr of SP748653.]

{4} Documentary reference. Original source PRO ref: WO166/3313; details of 467 searchlight battery, 73 Searchlight Regiment. September 1940. Ref: 25611, Boughton, MGR 83/198849. Converted MGR gives a position just west of the existing site- undoubtably the same S/L site.

{5} Cropmark of ring ditch, identified as a Second World War anti-aircraft battery. C.75m in diameter with entrance to north.

{6} D Smith (1997) suggests this could be a searchlight site. Mr Smith recalls a searchlight battery being located at SP74806516, on the northern edge of Northampton c1941/2. Located on a good vantage point. The battery reportedly comprised a level circular platform surrounded by a ditch, the spoil from which was utilised in an internal bank. Only one searchlight was present. The field concerned has been cultivated. A check of cropmarks in the SMR revealed a penannular enclosure at SP464519. The form of this suggests that it might be the former searchlight site. It is located within 200 metres of the location recalled by Smith.

{7} Information from A Armishaw noting the presence of a small building on the OS explorer map -possibly a pillbox - "..it is on the exact spot given by the original military grid reference (at SP74586523)." Subsequent check by G Cadman from Aps and OS plans identifies this as a nissen type hut not a pillbox.

{8} NCCAP: SP7465/001+24.

{10} Two curvilinear anomalies, possibly indicating the remains of former ring ditches, one of which is magnetically stronger than the other. Adjacent is an anomaly probably denoting fragmentary remains of a rectangular enclosure.

{11} (SP746652) A cropmark identified as a ring ditch.

{12} A searchlight battery from World War II. On the list from Northamptonshire SMR where it is known only from documentary sources. It was probably constructed between 1939 and 1945 but its condition is uncertain at the time of the Defence of Britain survey. The site was operated by the 467 S/L Battery 73 S/L Regiment. The site is located in the Whitehills side of Boughton.

<1> HOLLOWELL R., 1971, Aerial Photography and Fieldwork in the Upper Nene Valley, 6/3 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN106546.

<2> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1975, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1974: Air Photography, p.173 (checked)* (Report). SNN107256.

<3> Brown A.E. (ed.), 1980, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1979, 15/177 (unchecked) (Article). SNN56490.

<4> 1940, PRO ref: WO166/3313: 467 S/L Bty. 72 S/L Regt. September 1940, (checked) (Document). SNN101211.

<5> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.14 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77381.

<6> Cadman G., 2001, Defence of Britain Log Part 3, (unchecked) (Report). SNN101409.

<7> Armishaw A., 2002, Letter, (unchecked) (Letter). SNN101738.

<8> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<9> Connor A., 1999, Land at Buckton Fields, Boughton, Northamptonshire: An Archaeological Desk-Top Study, Appendix A (unchecked) (Report). SNN104913.

<10> MASTERS P., 1999, Geophysical Survey on Land at Buckton Fields, Boughton, Northampton, (unchecked) (Report). SNN105634.

<11> 1982, Aerial Photography in Northamptonshire 1981, p. 109 (Journal). SNN104561.

<12> Migrated Defence of Britain Project database record originally compiled from various sources (Database). SNN112922.

<13> Historic England, Undated, Defence of Britain, DEB01 (Archive). SNN112947.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 7:21PM