Kent County History (2001) War Office document, Hoo Stop Line (reference WO 166/4297): sketch plan and list of infantry and anti-tank pillboxes Also, further east between the villages of Teston and East Barming on the Medway this figure of 8 per mile holds good. Some are right beside the river, others are some hundred yards of the way back and some are on higher ground away from the river. There is also another type 28a pillbox over the River Eden in Penshurst just before the Eden joins the River Medway in the village. Pillboxes are cast concrete guard posts which included weapons ports. I have referenced this extensively for the sections of this walk that feature the town centre. MESSAGES. Three of these survive today in the village. Download Pillbox Database for Google Earth + Web Version. of pillboxes which were placed in Sarre during the war. Basingstoke Canal Type 26/Stent Prefab Rescue, Basingstoke Canal Unique GHQ Line A Pillbox Rescue. James Nationally, six thousand pillboxes survive of which approximately 150 can be found in Berkshire, many along the length of the Kennet and Avon Canal. We welcome new members to the PSG. On the four roads crossing the Medway in this area each one is covered by a type 28A pillbox and is backed up by a shell proof type 24 pillbox. The most common of these defences were called “pillboxes”, squat concrete forts that were sited at road junctions, canals and other strategic points. Media in category "Pillboxes in Kent" The following 69 files are in this category, out of 69 total. Spotter’s Guide to Pillboxes & other anti-invasion structures of WWII. I have checked the line to the south of this at Groombridge and as far as I could ascertain this number is repeated here. Hankley Common’s Atlantic Wall D-Day Practise Area. The ancient Royal Military Canal was well guarded with troops, pillboxes, and barbed wire. any leads on the cause yet? Training was provided in the area for the secret Auxiliary Units, men who would be … Ashurst FW3/24 PillboxPicture by David Ottway. We provide a specialised solution for generating profit from small health and personal care items, with displays that inspire impulse purchases. DISCUSSIONS. HISTORY: The four pillboxes were constructed in 1940 as part of the Hoo Stop Line; an anti-invasion defended line stretching for approximately eight miles between the River Thames near Cliffe and the River Medway to the south-east of Hoo St Werburgh. Its purpose was to provide a number of basic pillbox designs which could be constructed by soldiers and local labour at appropriate defensive locations. Scadbury Park, Chiselhurst, Kent. You mentioned you checked with the council but you should report its existence to the Kent HER, it's likely that the school and therefore ultimately the council own the land. Some pillboxes were equipped with a mounting to support one or more machine guns in an anti-aircraft role. These two pillboxes are situated overlooking the River Medway near Yalding and have survived very well. North Downs Way Shellproof Type 24 Variant. With a few minor modifications, suitable pillboxes can be converted to artificial caves for bats. This underground chamber in Scadbury Park appears at first glance to be an Operational … The book is free to download and is a fascinating and informative read. In addition, there were designs for gun emplacements suitable for either the Ordnance QF … The Basingstoke Canal was part of the series of defensive lines and St John’s still retains the remains of two pillboxes right beside Kiln Bridge (above and left).There are also a few remaining examples in the area: a small bulletproof pillbox and other defensive positions at Curzon Bridge in Pirbright and a well-preserved pillbox at Brookwood Bridge below Lock 15. Around 1500 Moir pillboxes were eventually produced (with blocks cast at Richborough in Kent) and sent to the Western Front in 1918. I would imagine it has been bricked up due to its proximity to the school, to prevent people using it as a drugs den and children then having accidents in it. Lower Medway Pillboxes. Their walls are usually so thick that demolition is deemed to be more trouble than it is worth. The PSG does not encourage members to undertake the ad hoc clearance of vegetation from pillboxes, as it can expose them to physical damage and inappropriate use, it may also contravene a variety of statutory regulations including, listed buildings and SSSI designations. Depending on how you count the pillboxes I have made the number around the village where the two lines meet at 15 pillboxes of which two are type 28 for Hotchkiss guns. With the passage of time it is estimated that less than 6,000 of a total of 28,000 pillboxes built still survive. 'Incredible' Tudor shipwreck discovered in Kent given protection. View Larger Map. Crumbling pillboxes, originally camouflaged as farm buildings, cottages or even haystacks, are hidden in undergrowth. Kettlebury Hill, Assault Training Observation Bunker. There’s a lot of info on here so it takes a while to load. Its written by Paul Tritton and is called “Tonbridge Fortress”. I have had five visits along this part of the GHQ line and I have found in the five miles from Penshurst to Ashurst 40 pillboxes and of these 23 lay beside or near public footpaths, this works out to 8 pillboxes to one mile on this part of the GHQ line . The village of Penshurst was not only an important anti-tank island it is also the place where the GHQ line west along the line of the River Eden joins the branch of the GHQ line coming from Newhaven in Sussex along the course of the River Medway. In the days after Dunkirk, nearly 18,000 pillboxes were built over a matter of days in the splendid tradition of British make do and mend. Volunteers looking for demolished World War II pillboxes near Whitstable in Kent have … In the following June and July FW3 issued 6 basic designs for rifle and light machine gun, designated Type 22 to Type 27. Some pillboxes have been converted to make roosts for bats. Hankley Common’s Atlantic Wall D-Day Practise Area. This is a short article on the GHQ line between the villages of Ashurst (on the Kent and Sussex border) and the village of Penshurst in Kent along the course of the River Medway, both of the villages lie to the west of Tunbridge Wells. The only non standard pillbox I have been able to observe is the one just away from the Medway leading to the old waterworks at Saints Hill. We currently have over 300 members in six countries. This subbstantial box is near Thurnham in Kent: It's actually neat the blue pin on the map saying Elite Arborists but the trees have now been cleared. Download Pillbox Database for Google Earth + Web Version. FORUMS. Committed To The Study & Preservation Of 20th Century United Kingdom & International Pillboxes & Anti-Invasion Defences. Spotter’s Guide to Pillboxes & other anti-invasion structures of WWII. The design of the Eden pillboxes are slightly different and the finish does not look so good either inside or outside and they also have a slight dome effect on the roof. Of those pillboxes I have been inside, the ones on the River Medway have anti-ricochet walls in and the only one I could get into on the River Eden as it enters Penshurst did not have any internal wall. This Site. North Downs Way Shellproof Type 24 Variant. A number of pillboxes were constructed across the Western Heights in the 20th century to cover the approaches to the heights, these are generally inter-visible. The The Pillbox Study Group > Pillboxes & Anti-Invasion Defences England ... Kent Moderators:Tim Denton, John Hellis. Pillboxes are often camouflaged in order to conceal their location and to maximize the element of surprise. The complete data set is available as a kmz file for Google Earth from. Next to the eastern entrance of the tunnel you can see the remains of a branch from the main London to Bristol railway line which lead into the hillside into the Corsham Ammunitions Depot and terminated at a half-mile long underground railway station which was used during World War II. The type 28A are all of the square embrasure type to house the Hotchkiss 6 pounder anti-tank gun. The most common of these defences were called “pillboxes”, squat concrete forts that were sited at road junctions, canals and other strategic points. The remaining pillboxes are on private land or the opposite side of the River Medway to the public footpaths. The roads are the B2176 at Penshurst, the B2188 at Saints Hill, the minor road over the Medway at Chafford bridge and the A264 at Ashurst. River Whitewater Shellproof Pillbox Rescue Archaeology, Spigot Mortar Emplacement Rescue Archaeology, Breamore Mill, River Avon, Ringwood Stopline, National Trust North Downs GHQ Line B Pillbox Event. Over 18,000 concrete pillboxes were constructed, and quite a large number still survive. Saunders W & Smith V, Kent's Defense Heritage, Site KD164 Hoo St. Werburgh to Lodge HIll Line of Pillboxes. The roads are the B2176 at Penshurst, the B2188 at Saints Hill, the minor road over the Medway at Chafford bridge and the A264 at Ashurst. NOTIFICATIONS. The small concrete forts or bunkers were first called pillboxes in an article in the Scotsman newspaper on September 13, 1917. Penshurst village was an anti-tank island on the GHQ line and is about the best preserved in the county of Kent. All these pillboxes have probably survived because this part of west Kent has not had the terrific growth that most areas of the county have gone through since the end of WW2. Pillboxes that are well dug-in and thick-walled are naturally damp and provide a stable thermal environment that is required by bats that would otherwise hibernate in caves. Thousands of concrete pillboxes were built in Kent; 6,500 of the crumbling structures remain standing to this day. Posted in Kent, Second World War. :notworthy: On the snow box. A series of 61 anti-tank pimples, around 300 anti-tank cylinders and one pillbox along the coast in Pegwell Bay, Kent. ‘But few know that at the end of 1914 work began on the creation of epic lines of anti-invasion field defences, ready for action in the event of an invasion by the Kaiser’s army and navy. and is used here courtesy of Steve Thompson. Reference was also made to … 9th September 2018. Ewshot Pillbox Restoration “Exclusive” September 7th 2013. Upon reading up on the pillboxes I found a brilliant book about Tonbridge and its defences during WW2. Photos of locations at showing remains at Scadbury Park, Kent of pillboxes and other defences built to resist a German invasion in World War 2. This is a type 24 built into the embankment beside the road and has a protected entrance with only 3 gun embrasures facing forward and none to the rear. Basingstoke Canal Type 26/Stent Prefab Rescue, Basingstoke Canal Unique GHQ Line A Pillbox Rescue. Southern Railway Pillbox, Hook Heath, Woking, Surrey. A two mile long tunnel, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel through Box Hill. Members receive the journal ', Hitler’s threatened British Invasion 1940, Aldershot Command’s 2- Pounder Emplacement, Mowlem 6 Pounder Drum Pillbox Shalford Surrey. 21 anti-tank rails connecting two pillboxes, Detling Airfield (Monument) TQ 75 SE 144: A Second World War flame trap was located on Loose Road, Maidstone (Monument) TR 34 SW 477: A Second World War type B Quad pillbox, North Entrance, Dover Western Heights (Building) TQ 85 NW 135 Members receive the journal ', Hitler’s threatened British Invasion 1940, Aldershot Command’s 2- Pounder Emplacement, Mowlem 6 Pounder Drum Pillbox Shalford Surrey. There are many types of pillbox, the most common being the Type 22 Pillbox, two of which can be seen in Sarre forming an outer perimeter of the defences to the south. This example is a Type D trapezoidal Quad of concrete and brick construction, located near the junction of the Citadel and the Western Outworks, facing north-west. Ewshot Pillbox Restoration “Exclusive” September 7th 2013. the pillboxes and tank traps hurriedly erected in the summer of 1940, when Hitler was expected to launch an invasion across the English Channel. On the four roads crossing the Medway in this area each one is covered by a type 28A pillbox and is backed up by a shell proof type 24 pillbox. Square and rectangular pillboxes dating to the First World War can be found in Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk; however they are all built with much more substantial walls and roofs. Allhallows Pillbox - geograph.org.uk - 268428.jpg 640 × 426; 99 KB In 1940 a network of defences was hastily built all over the British Isles to prevent an anticipated German invasion. On the north Kent coast, in sight of Herne Bay to the west and Margate’s Turner Contemporary art gallery to the east, Reculver is an exposed stretch of beach and cliff where a delightful walk will lead you all the way to the famous fishing town of Whitstable in one direction, and to Birchington-on-Sea in the other. Southern Railway Pillbox, Hook Heath, Woking, Surrey. We currently have over 300 members in six countries. This map shows the locations of most of the UK Pillboxes that are known to exist today. In May 1940, the directorate of Fortifications and Works (FW3) was set up at the War Office under the direction of Major-General G. B. O. Taylor. The infantry pillboxes along this stretch are spaced out in the main to give covering fire to each other. We welcome new members to the PSG. Iv seen a couple of totally destroyed ones before but never a half wrecked one. I love pillboxes in the snow nice pics there mate, wooha to the damaged one tho something naughty happened there me thinks? Kettlebury Hill, Assault Training Observation Bunker. River Whitewater Shellproof Pillbox Rescue Archaeology, Spigot Mortar Emplacement Rescue Archaeology, Breamore Mill, River Avon, Ringwood Stopline, National Trust North Downs GHQ Line B Pillbox Event. I can recommend this part of the GHQ line for anyone who wants not only to see a good number of well preserved  pillboxes but also to enjoy walking in lovely countryside with many pubs along the route. Also, I have been only able to view some pillboxes at a distance with binoculars where they lay well away from footpaths but can seen from higher parts of public footpaths. At Chafford bridge there are also several anti-tank obstacles, but since the bridge was replaced with a new one in 2003 many of the best ones have gone, probably into reinforcing of the river bank. 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