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Summary

Type 22 pillbox beside hedgeline on hillslope overlooking the river Axe and the railway bridge. Constructed of concrete and lined with brick. Visible on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards. It formed 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' and cropmarks of a rectangular enclosure of unknown date east of Weycroft

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1440649
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY39NW/86
• 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 recorded on Royal Engineer's plan as S.35.

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

A flat roofed structure is visible.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974/1423 (Aerial Photograph). SDV348806.

Possible pillbox visible.

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

Wills lists polgonal pillbox of mixed construction facing west at SY304998.

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

Site visit 13th June 1995. Type 24 pillbox beside hedgeline on hillslope overlooking river Axe and railway bridge. Concrete block construction. On the roof of the pillbox and inside it are discarded concrete posts and barbed wire, possibly from the original stop-line defences (unless agricultural or railway origin). The pillbox faces northwest.

Hayne, D. + Weston, H., 1996, Hexagonal Pillbox, Weycroft (Worksheet). SDV356742.

Hexagonal pillbox in a field near Weycroft, to the west of the A358.

Foot, W., 2005, Defence Areas. A National Study of Second World War Anti-Invasion Landscapes in England, DA03-Weycroft-S0016298 (Report - Survey). SDV360266.

Site visit 14th January 2003. Weycroft defence area. Type FW3/22 pillbox. Located by a public footpath to the south-west of Weycroft. North facing. Constructed of concrete blocks with brick lining. It has unusual chamfered embrasures. There are concrete posts piled on the roof. Interior access is possible. In good condition.

Ordnance Survey, 2014, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV355681.

Google, 2015, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 15-AUG-2016 ACCESSED 10-APR-2017 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359580.

A structure is just visible under scrub cover.

Historic England, 2015-2016, NRHE to HER prototype (Website). SDV359652.

Summary description
Second World War pillbox south of the railway crossing over the River Axe, 60m south of the river, between Werycroft Hall and Sisterhood Farm. Plotted from Mastermap.
Full description
None recorded
Sources
None recorded
Monument types, periods and evidence
PILLBOX World War II 1939 20TH CENTURY 1945 20TH CENTURY STRUCTURE
Related monuments
None recorded
Related events
None recorded
Related archives/objects
None recorded
Actors
None recorded
Metadata
When created 30-MAR-06
Created by Inventory

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, flat-roofed structure is visible on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards. It is positioned on the hedgeline of a field to the east overlooking the railway line and is probably the pillbox recorded on a 1940 Royal Engineers plan and part of the Taunton Stop Line. It appears to survive although is obscured by tree cover on the most recent aerial images.
The structure is depicted on modern mapping so has not been transcribed as part of this survey.

Powell-Thomas, A., 2017, The West Country's last Line of Defence. Taunton Stop Line, 77, photo (Monograph). SDV360594.

Type 22 pillbox with unusual loopholes. The pillbox is now overgrown but, facing north, once covered the railway bridge.

Sources / Further Reading

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.
SDV348806	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974/1423. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper).
SDV355681	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2014. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #94487 ]
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.
SDV356742	Worksheet: Hayne, D. + Weston, H.. 1996. Hexagonal Pillbox, Weycroft. Defence of Britain Project. Worksheet + Digital.
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
SDV359580	Aerial Photograph: Google. 2015. Google Earth Pro. Various. Digital. EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 15-AUG-2016 ACCESSED 10-APR-2017.
SDV359652	Website: Historic England. 2015-2016. NRHE to HER prototype. https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/home. Website.
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. DA03-Weycroft-S0016298.
SDV360594	Monograph: Powell-Thomas, A.. 2017. The West Country's last Line of Defence. Taunton Stop Line. The West Country's last Line of Defence. Taunton Stop Line. Paperback Volume. 77, photo.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

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

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