Daily Archives: 8th March 2015
Relief Landing Ground at NGR: SP175036 A Farm at the WWII RLG, RAF Southrop, Gloucestershire is defended by a very unusual double Pillbox. A Double Norcon Variant? I think this is a transportable Lewis Gun AA emplacement? The Farm House?? I think it’s a Watch Office Early type […]
Spigot Mortar Emplacement: e23868 (Extant), Spigot Mortar Emplacement: e23867 (Extant) and Spigot Mortar Emplacement: e23866 (Extant)
Wickham Bishops Road Defences, Witham, Essex. Today I visited a site at Wickham bishops road, Essex. It is recorded by Fred Nash and the SEAX group as a road barrier with irregular concrete blocks. However, upon closer inspection of these blocks the thought occurred to me that they look more sections of a demolished/destroyed […]
I took these photos last year in the summer at Walton on the Naze and I don’t think they will be around for much longer. By Dave Harrington
The former airfield at RAF Hornchurch in Essex boasts the largest concentration of surviving Tett turrets in the country. This ultra rare form of one-man pillbox would have been extremely cramped and restrictive for the guy inside! Thankfully the surviving Tett turrets at Hornchurch are in relatively good condition; the outer rims […]
Chris Stewart-Moffitt has formed the Military Fortifications Rescue, Research & Restoration Group Covering the County of Essex, the Group has found some very unusual Defence Structures and approached the land owners of these sites in order to rescue them from decay. Where possible they are being restored to their former […]
Cox Hill, Lawford, Essex I found the PSG web site very interesting and was able to identify the Pillbox near to where I live. It’s an Allan-Williams Turret and is located in a field on top of Coxs Hill in Lawford near to Manningtree Railway Station, Essex. It faces north […]
What Are These? I found these some years ago at Bradwell Bay Airfield (Fighter Bomber Station WW2). Has anyone got any idea of what they are (perhaps not even military). I have had ideas that they were perhaps some kind of hold-fast for a Light AA Gun they have what […]
Rectangular MMG Emplacements at Rye Harbour Photographs sent to the PSG by Dr Barry Yates These local design variation Vickers MMG pillboxes are located at the entrance to Rye Harbour, East Sussex. Next lot of pictures 2017 by Colin Anderson
Worbarrow Bay Revisited Worbarrow Bay, Dorset. I first visited Warbarrow Bay near Lulworth Cove back in 1996 as a Field Researcher for the Defence of Britain Project. At that time I documented many of the WWII defences that lay around the edge of the bay and when Tim Denton suggested […]
OS 194 SY7713-8084 Is it a Pillbox or is it an Observation Post? Have you ever come across one of those structures that doesn’t drop neatly into one category or another? Well this example is situated on top of the 500ft cliffs at White Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, is such an […]
Nothe Fort, Weymouth, Dorset. Visiting Weymouth on a fine day in August, I decided to take a close look at the harbour and Nothe Fort which overlooks the entrance into Weymouth Harbour. Two Coastal Artillery Searchlight Defences can be found close to the harbour entrance. The first one is situated […]
Looking Back At Weymouth’s Defences. A 1980’S Photographic Record Of Weymouth’s WWII Defences By Kevin Briggs.
Fort Henry, Redend Point, Studland Bay. Dorset. NGR: SZ 038 828 On top of Redend Point, Studland Bay, a small sandstone cliff which splits the beach in two at high tide, is Fort Henry. It is owned by the National Trust and extends along the seaward side of the grounds […]
Ringstead Bay, Weymouth OS194 by Graham G Matthews
These unusual pillboxes are located at Sennen Cove, Cornwall, just around the corner from Land’s End. This pillbox located at the top of the hill above the cove is very similar to those found only a few miles away guarding the beach at Porthcurno. They appear to be a modified […]
Camouflaged Pillbox OS 203: Lands End. NGR: SW 5205 – 4040 Pedn Olva Point These images have been enhanced using AI as the originals were very small and poor quality. This is a very unusual Camouflage Pillbox located immediately below the hotel at Pedn Olva at the western edge of […]
OS Sheet 203: Land’s End Porthleven is a small fishing village situated on the edge of Mount’s Bay approximately 8 miles south of the port of Penzance. It offers protection from much of the Atlantic weather with its granite block walls and shallow water harbour. Type 24 Pillbox Grid Ref: SW […]
Porthcurno WWII Communication Bunker & Anti-Invasion Defences A Photographic “Look-back” OS Sheet 203 Porthcurno, near Lands End Porthcurno is a very isolated cove near Lands End. Unknown to most people, it is the point where submarine telephone cables connecting Britain to the rest of the world come ashore. WWII Communication […]
Type 24 Pillbox Overlooking Anti-Tank Wall A Type 24 Pillbox located on the small headland that separates Kennack Sands with the beach at Green stable. Due to the increased popularity of the beach it has been necessary to remove the Anti-Tank Wall at the Kennack Sands end but around the […]
OS 203: Land’s End Type 24 Pillbox Grid Ref: SW 5870-2758 This Type 24 Pillbox is located on the south-eastern end of of Praa Sands Beach about 100m from the beach access steps. Originally built on top of the 10m high cliffs it has unfortunately been subjected to the local […]
Pendennis Castle, Cornwall Pendennis Castle guards the entrance to the River Fal at Falmouth, Cornwall. Originally built by Henry VIII, subjected to an intense blockade by the Roundheads in the 17th Century and surviving WWII it offers a unique insight into 450 years of history. It has several important WWII […]
OS Sheet 203: Land’s End Fishing Cove, Gunwalloe, is situated at the very southern end of Loe Bar, Mount’s Bay, Cornwall. Access to the beach was protected by a concrete block constructed Anti-Tank wall. Anti Tank Wall Located approximately 100 metres up the track is a small concrete block manufacturing […]
A Type 27 Pillbox placed on top of an embankment overlooking the river Dee and RAF Sealand.
NGR SJ 5922-5763 I took these photographs of the remaining seagull trench at the former RAF Calveley, near Nantwich, Cheshire, in April 2004. It is located at the NW corner of landing ground between the perimeter track and runway of Calveley Airfield, (Grid ref: SJ 5922 5763 ) according to […]
Arp Signal Box The great increase in railway activity in WW2 led to the development of a new type of signal box. The running of the railways was as vital as was the safety of signalmen, so a strengthened signal box was developed with a concrete roof to give a […]
Although not a pillbox here is a wartime structure that I found in Berkshire in an area known to have been used by the 501st and 101st Airborne during the build up to D-Day. It is about 15ft by 8ft divided into three segments. Two small rooms and a central […]
Kennet & Avon Canal, Berkshire NGR: SU618686. Having just joined the Pillbox Study Group and having received my 1st copy of loopholes yesterday, I thought it would be good to send a recent picture taken at Ufton Bridge, alongside the Kennet and Avon canal in Berkshire. According to Ironsides book […]
GHQ Stop-Line, Tidmarsh, Berkshire. Bridges Were Hastily Erected To Provide Access To The Pillboxes. By Mike Quigley
Under Threat! Berkshire GHQ Line Vickers Machine Gun Pillbox. M4 Junction 11 April 2008 Possibly Berkshire’s only surviving Vickers Machine Gun emplacement, at SU714855, may be under threat of demolition? The rare defence has recently become exposed due to tree and shrub clearance below the south west embankment of the M4 […]
Following on from his recent information on Wartime Concrete in Berkshire, Philip came across this carving in a tree close to the ‘mystery building’ illustrated previously. He already knew that the 501st & 101st Airborne had been stationed in the area during the run up to D-Day and he proceeded […]
Dunmill Lock, Hungerford Common, Berkshire Anti-Tank Defences On Hungerford Common Situated between the railway line and the Kennet and Avon Canal at Hungerford Common in Berkshire are two FW3/28 Anti-Tank Pillboxes. Both are positioned back to back on an embankment covering the canal, road and railway from a vantage point. […]
NGR SU 680-706 At Burghfield, just a few miles South-west of Reading in Berkshire can be found an excellent surviving example of a brick built fortified building (NGR SU680706). The converted stable-block is situated in between the tip of a road junction at a point where three roads meet and […]
Located on the B3349 near Wokingham/Aborfield. NGR: SU777668 This rectangular bullet proof variant design can be found close to the road covering a small bridge near Barkham on the B3349, Wokingham to Arborfield Road in Berkshire. It once formed part of the outer defence perimeter for the nearby army garrison at Arborfield camp, […]
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