Monument record ADB 137 - Possible sluices or World War II military features.

Two possible sluices or World War II military features are visible on aerial photographs cut into the sea bank on Aldeburgh marshes at circa TM45485545. The features are composed of two possible sluices approximately 30m apart, cut through the sea wall at circa TM45455544 and TM45485545. They are approximately 6.5m wide at the centre of the bank, and fan out on the riverine side to circa 9m wide, and on the inland side to about 12m wide, where they apparently feed into drainage channels. Spoil, presumably from the cutting of the possible sluices, is visible behind the bank. It is laid in linear banks up to circa 30m long pointing inland from the sea bank. An unidentifiable feature, possibly a structure, is also visible located between the lines of spoil. However the scale and clarity of the 1943 photographs is such that details are unclear. The features appear to be quite recent in 1943 and it is possible that they were created by the military during the Second World War (S1). By October 1945 the banks of spoil are somewhat degraded and the nature of the circular feature remains unclear (S2). By 1955 the possible sluices have been filled and the associated banks removed, probably as part of a remodelling of the drainage in this area (S3).