History books are all well and good, but nothing lets you imagine days gone by like seeing a historical structure with your very own eyes. To keep the past alive here in the UK, lots of those sites are granted heritage protection by Historic England and the government.
One of the most recent sites to be given the highest level of protection is a collection of First World War practice trenches in Gosport in the south of England, known as Browndown Camp.
The faux battlefield was one of several used for training troops between 1914 and 1918. It was built to mimic trenches on the Western Front, including a no-man’s-land between two opposing trench systems and was where WW1 soldiers were taught how to dig, adapt, live and fight in the ditches.
Browndown is hidden underneath thick gorse and heather and was only rediscovered in 2011 after being spotted in an aerial photograph of the area from 1951. The size of almost 17 football pitches, it’s thought to be one of the best preserved and most complex sites of its kind in England.
Peter Chegwyn, leader of Gosport Borough Council, said: ‘We are extremely pleased that the prehistoric round barrow, Browndown trenches and Second World War Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) Battery have been designated as a scheduled monument by Historic England as part of the Gosport Heritage Action Zone.
‘This is another fine example of Gosport’s rich heritage and the new special status of this land rightly reflects its rarity and national significance and will hopefully help to raise awareness of its fascinating history.’
Here’s an aerial photograph from 1951 with annotations showing the trench systems:
You can explore the Browndown trenches further with this walk from The Outdoor Guide.
Exploring Britain’s past with Time Out
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