Rare First World War Practice Trenches in Gosport Scheduled
The government has granted rare First World War practice trenches in Gosport, Hampshire, the highest level of heritage protection, with the Browndown site designated as a scheduled monument by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.
The system of trenches is considered to be one of England’s best preserved and most complex examples of its type, constructed for training troops on home ground before deployment abroad.
The Browndown trenches were rediscovered via aerial photos in 2011. They were surveyed and mapped by Historic England investigators Olaf Bayer and Fiona Small as part of the Gosport Heritage Action Zone, which comes to a close this year.
The site had several purposes – to teach recruits how to dig, reinforce, repair and adapt the trenches, as well as how to live and fight in them. It also helped build the physical strength and resilience of new recruits and establish bonds of teamwork, trust and comradeship.
Historic England’s research has revealed at least 2 phases of trench digging and how the layout simulates a battlefield, with opposing frontlines and support trenches separated by a ‘no-man’s-land’.
The idea was to provide ‘textbook’ training environments, mimicking sections of the Western Front. The Royal Marines Light Infantry and probably the Hampshire Regiment trained at Browndown before leaving for the Front via Southampton. The Browndown trenches are on Ministry of Defence land south of Alver Valley Country Park but open to the public.
Hidden beneath thick gorse and heather, the Browndown trenches are a rare reminder of how troops trained in this country before leaving for the Western Front. The harrowing experience of trench warfare is one of the defining features of the First World War, yet there are few places in Britain where surviving networks of trenches can be encountered. Browndown is one of the best examples left and the site gives us valuable insights into the rigorous training given to recruits facing a new era of industrialised warfare.
Various First World War practice trench systems were created in England from 1914 onwards, and surviving examples include Tolsford Hill, Kent, Redmires near Sheffield, and Otterburn in Northumberland.
The Browndown site has multiple layers of history. It also contains evidence of a prehistoric round barrow, a Second World War Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, and a series of Second World War (and later) grenade ranges, all now protected as a single scheduled monument.
“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.”
Cllr Peter Chegwyn, Leader of Gosport Borough Council
“The scheduling of the Browndown trenches illustrates the historic importance of the physical legacy of training troops for war. As owners of a large proportion of these features, the MOD and DIO is committed to being good custodians of the nation’s military heritage.”
Richard Osgood, Senior Archaeologist, Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Browndown Camp from above
Browndown Camp had an entire practice battlefield, the size of nearly 17 football pitches, with 2 sets of opposing trench systems and a ‘no-man’s-land’ between.
Listing review
As part of the Gosport Heritage Action Zone, Historic England carried out an in-depth review to clarify the level and extent of special architectural and historic interest of Gosport’s unique military heritage. This will help inform the management of these historic buildings and sites into the future.
Overall, around 100 places were assessed which resulted in 11 new listings and new information added to the official entries for Fort Blockhouse, Gosport Lines and Haslar Gunboat Yard on the National Heritage List for England.
Since 2020 the Gosport Heritage Action Zone listing review has resulted in:
1 new scheduled monument:
11 new listings at Grade II:
Amendments and detailed information added to:
- Fort Blockhouse – scheduled monument
- Bastion No 1, Gosport Lines – scheduled monument
- Fort Grange – scheduled monument
- Gosport Lines west of Weevil Lane – scheduled monument
