Monument record MWX1472 - Second World War pillbox, Knoll House Hotel, Studland

A World War II irregular, hexagonal pillbox on the golf course of Knoll House Hotel. It is constructed of reinforced concrete with three embrasures facing the sea on the east, southeast and northeast sides and a hatch type entrance on the west. The pillbox measures 2.4 metres east-west by 2.4 metres north-south at the west end narrowing to 1.6 metres at the east end. It had been constructed by early August 1940 and is visible as a structure on aerial photographs of 1941. It was situated within the Studland Sub-Sector, defended by the 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment from October 1940, replaced in April 1941 by the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards. The Home Guard unit manning defences within this sector was No.2 (East Purbeck) Company, 7th (Wareham) Battalion. A field visit in 1995 found the structure to be in a good condition.

A pillbox on the golf course of Knoll House Hotel. It is a reinforced concrete with three embrasures facing the sea on the E, SE, and NE sides. The entrance is on the W side and has been blocked with corrugated iron. The pillbox measures 2.4m (E-W) x 2.4m (N-S) at the W end narrowing to 1.6m at the E end. Each embrasure is 0.6m wide and 0.3m high. Irregular hexagon concrete pillbox - faces E (82 degrees). 3 embrasures. Signs of wooden shuttering on all surfaces. Hatch type entrance on back Some damage around embrasures and cracked.

[Surrey Industrial Society record gives NGR - SZ 03208354]. Golf course, Knoll House Hotel, Studland. <2>

The pillbox described above in <2, 3> is visible as a structure on aerial photographs of 1941 (SZ 03165 83367) and it appears to be a Type 24 hexagonal pillbox <1>. This site was digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

<1> Royal Air Force, 29-APR-1941, RAF 225D/UK841/2 4-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12800.

<2> Council for British Archaeology, 1995, Defence of Britain Project, S0007723 (Digital archive). SWX5.

<3> Council for British Archaeology, 2006, Defence of Britain Project Archive DEB01, S0007723 (Excavation archive). SDO17227.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1422104 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 15 2024 11:14AM