Monument record MWX1341 - World War Two Pillbox, 1 Castle Hill Cottages, Burton Road, Abbotsbury

A World War Two pillbox built onto the front on No.1 Castle Hill Cottages, Burton Road. It is a square redbrick structure with a concrete roof and embrasures, the entrance protected by an attached wall, This is not the usual military pillbox, but may have been used by the coastguard for protection against random gunfire from enemy aircraft. The pillbox was probably constructed in 1940 and was situated within the Abbotsbury Defence area, which at this time, was manned by the 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. A field visit in 1996 found the structure to be in a good condition.

A square redbrick structure with a concrete roof and embrasures, the entrance protected by an attached wall. [Shown on OS 1:2500 sheet SY 5584 (1963)].The structure is built onto the front on No.1 Castle Hill Cottages on the Burton road. [The occupier states that it is his understanding that the house had been used by the coastguard]. This is not the usual military pillbox, but may have been used by the coastguard for protection against random gunfire from enemy aircraft. <1-3>

<1> Council for British Archaeology, 1995, Defence of Britain Project, S0003119 (Digital archive). SWX5.

<2> Council for British Archaeology, 2003, Defence of Britain Project Database, S0003119 (Machine readable data file). SDO128.

<3> Council for British Archaeology, 2006, Defence of Britain Project Archive DEB01, S0003119 (Excavation archive). SDO17227.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1419113 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 25 2023 11:49AM