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Summary

Wills lists a pillbox at this location. A low structure is visible on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s, although it is not recorded on the Royal Engineers plans. It is not visible on more recent aerial imagery nor on the ground. If it was a pillbox then it would have been part of the Weycroft defence area on the Taunton Stop Line constructed in 1940.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and structures associated with the Weycroft Defence Area on the World War Two 'Taunton Stop Line'

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY39NW/85
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PILLBOX? (Built, World War II - 1940 AD to 1940 AD?)

Full description

Royal Engineers, 1940, Plans of Taunton Stop Line, Axminster Union & RD (Cartographic). SDV325259.

Pillbox not recorded on Royal Engineer's plan.

RAF, 1947, CPE/ UK 1974, 1423 (Migrated Record). SDV135305.

Pillbox visible on RAF 1947 aerial photograph. Other details: 31/104.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1423-1424 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

A small structure is visible.

Wills, H., 1985, Pillboxes. A Study of UK Defences 1940, 74 (Monograph). SDV336210.

Wills lists polygonal pillbox of mixed construction facing west at SY303996.

Horner, B., 1994, Taunton Stop Line Survey (Personal Comment). SDV360458.

Site visit 4th October 1994. Location map in SMR (HER).

Horner, B., 1995, Taunton Stop Line Survey Site Visit (Site Visit). SDV325640.

Site visit 3rd June 1995. Site not visible on ground.

Foot, W., 2005, Defence Areas. A National Study of Second World War Anti-Invasion Landscapes in England (Report - Survey). SDV360266.

Pillbox not included.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A low structure, circa 5 metres across, is visible on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s, abutting the boundary hedge of a field just to the east of the railway line. Its shape in plan is not easy to distinguish but it appears to be rectilinear or polygonal. Its location broadly matches that of a pillbox recorded by Wills and it is likely to have formed part of the Taunton Stop Line. The structure is not visible on more recent aerial imagery.
The feature has been transcribed from the Historic England Archive 1947 aerial photographs, which have been recorded here as an additional separate source because there is a possibility that the prints may have been processed differently. This would potentially result in images on which archaeological features show slightly differently.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV135305	Migrated Record: RAF. 1947. CPE/ UK 1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. 1423.
SDV325259	Cartographic: Royal Engineers. 1940. Plans of Taunton Stop Line. Royal Engineers Survey Plan circa July 1940. Unknown. Axminster Union & RD.
SDV325640	Site Visit: Horner, B.. 1995. Taunton Stop Line Survey Site Visit. Taunton Stop Line Survey. Not Applicable.
SDV336210	Monograph: Wills, H.. 1985. Pillboxes. A Study of UK Defences 1940. Pillboxes. Hardback Volume. 74.
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1423-1424 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #94486 ]
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV360266	Report - Survey: Foot, W.. 2005. Defence Areas. A National Study of Second World War Anti-Invasion Landscapes in England. Council for British Archaeology/English Heritage. Digital.
SDV360458	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 1994. Taunton Stop Line Survey. Not Applicable.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV3764 - Unnamed Event
• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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