AN HISTORIC wall at Norton Manor Camp has been restored after becoming 'discoloured and grimy.'

The restoration work was carried out to a 164-foot long 'serpentine' dating to around 1810.

The wall originally contained land belonging to a manor house which was no stranger to gentry, including the Queen Mother's uncle, Francis Bowes Lyon.

The site later became a military base during World War 2, before becoming the home to 40 Royal Marine Commando in 1983.

The Grade II listed wall had become 'grimy, discoloured and mossy' after years of exposure to the elements and passing cars. After 15 weeks of work the wall was cleaned, repointed and restored.

Stuar Clerkson, of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation said: "Norton Manor Camp is nestled into hillside woodland on the outskirts of Norton Fitzwarren and contains three Grade II-listed structures.

"Being able to carry out cleaning and repairs to The Serpentine Wall allows you to fully appreciate the beauty and craftmanship of the original construction. Following cleaning, the yellow gault bricks glow in the dappled sunlight that falls through the trees that sit above this retaining wall.

"The Conservation Stewardship Fund award of £25,000 was matched from the site maintenance budget to enable this restoration to be carried out."

Jerry Moloney, Managing Director at VIVO Defence Services, which helped carry out the work, said:

"As a facilities management and maintenance provider working solely for the UK military and its partners, we carry out a lot of varied work, whether it’s repairing runways, making military buildings more energy efficient, repairing Service Family Accommodation or providing restoration work to heritage structures.

"The MOD is the UK’s second largest landlord and that means there is a lot to do. Renovating the Serpentine Wall at Norton Manor marine camp is certainly an interesting job and helps highlight the huge array of heritage buildings there are across the UK’s military bases and keeping them in good condition is historically important. Well done to our team."