Marsh Park Archaeological Project - Brierley Hill Community Forum

Rediscovering Brierley Hill’s Wartime Past

📌 Introduction

In 2025, the Friends of Marsh Park, working in partnership with Wolverhampton Archaeology Group and Dudley Council, uncovered the long-lost remains of a WWII Royal Observer Corps (ROC) lookout post at Marsh Park, Brierley Hill. This unique project, supported by UKSPF and Future High Streets funding, combined archaeology, community history, and cutting-edge digital technology to preserve and celebrate an overlooked chapter of our local wartime history.

🧱 The Dig and the Discovery

Excavations began in January 2025 after ground probing revealed solid remains under the turf.
Foundations of a 15ft x 11ft two-storey WW2 ROC lookout tower were uncovered near the highest point of Marsh Park.
The structure was likely built in 1938 and manned continuously during the war by Royal Observer Corps personnel, supported by the Home Guard.
Construction details suggest a “make do” wartime approach: brick-and-mortar footings with copper alloy bolts and iron brackets, but no floor remains.
A test pit nearby revealed earlier building foundations, industrial waste layers, and pottery dating from the 18th to 20th centuries.
Photos: ground level view of discovered foundations; an aerial view; the a deeper trench show different strata on the site; lead archaeologist Clive Westwood plan of possible layout; a lookout tower in Skipness; a digital vision of what the tower might look like.

🧭 Marsh Park Through the Ages

Once a site of heavy coal and fireclay mining, the hill was transformed into a park in 1921, thanks to a land donation by Ernest Marsh of Marsh & Baxter.
The park was landscaped by unemployed WW1 veterans and became a popular meeting spot, with a bowling green, bandstand, and Heroes’ Avenue.
During WWII, it served a key military role with an ROC post, air raid shelters, and ARP posts on site.
Pictures: glass, clay pipes and pottery found at the dig.
📖 Read more about Marsh Park’s transformation from mining to memorial [pdf]

🎖️ Voices from the Past: ROC & Home Guard Memories

Local residents have shared powerful recollections:

Joan Ellett remembered her father Eli spotting planes and keeping aircraft photos at home.
Alan Hickman’s father, part of the Home Guard, recalled radio tracking and “Heroes’ Walk” – a path lined with trees in memory of fallen soldiers.
Bert Skipton’s father served at both Marsh Park and Barrow Hill, witnessing the Coventry Blitz from Brierley Hill.
John Miller, ex-ROC, documented the site’s timeline: opened 1938 as post F2, later evolving into an underground monitoring station during the Cold War.
Picture: Brierley Hill Home Guard provided by Jonathon P Taylor

Source Jonathon P Taylor, the Brierley Hill Home Guard

🛠️ Community Involvement & Outreach

Activities included:

History talks at Harry’s Café and St Michael’s Church.
Community litter picks to improve the park.
A sold-out history walk from The Swan Pub through the wartime heritage of Brierley Hill.
Detectorist event in collaboration with Stourbridge Detectorists Club, uncovering pit pony shoes, WWI–WWII coins, and industrial remnants.
Pictures: The observation tower foundations uncovered; community litter pick; digital reconstruction of the tower; WW2 walk from the Swan; The Detectorists get to work

🔍 What’s Next: Augmented Reality & Heritage Engagement

A 3D model of the lookout post has been developed by artist Anthony Young. Click on the image below and drag to digitally explore the model.
Future plans include placing QR codes in the park for visitors to view the tower in Augmented Reality using their smartphones.
This material will also be shared with local schools and archived online.

WW2 Observation Tower Marsh Park, Brierley Hill by ajtyoung on Sketchfab

📚 Explore More

💬 Quotes

“My father remembered radio echoes and a tree for every fallen soldier.”
— Alan Hickman

“When the plane crashed on Adelaide Street, the ROC observer in Marsh Park saw everything.”
— Newton family, via Blackcountryman