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, […]
Berkshire
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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 […]
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28 TWIN): S0005736 (Extant) 18/02/2000 A twin embrasure type 28a anti-tank gun emplacement. A large circular hole (at least 3ft in diameter) has been cut in the roof near the SE corner. The concrete slab from the hole lies on the roof to the left of the hole. […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
This pillbox has been cleared of vegetation (Jan 2024) (I surmise as a result of the general upgrade works here by Sustrans along the towpath). All the loopholes have, however, been bricked up. It looks way better! There is a metal door at the back which was not bolted shut […]
Polygonal concrete south facing pillbox listed in wills 1985. Not discernible on aerial photographs. 1999 Type 22 pillbox, shell-proof. Photos Myles Munsey 2024
Demolition Practice Site, Swinley Forest, Berkshire. NGR SU882638 This is an incredible find which is not on the Defence of Britain Database or anywhere else I have looked. I had a conversation in November 2001 with a Forest Ranger in Swinley Forest when I was looking for some reported bunkers, […]
GHQ Stop-Line, Tidmarsh, Berkshire. Bridges Were Hastily Erected To Provide Access To The Pillboxes. By Mike Quigley
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 […]
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 […]