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Summary

Pillbox buried up to the level of the embrasures with an entrance via a gully visible on aerial photographs taken in 1947 but now obscured by tree cover. It faces north-west to cover the River Axe. Part of the Wadbrook defence area on the Second World War Taunton Stop Line constructed in 1940.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: World War II pillbox on north-west edge of Wadbrook Coppice, part of the Taunton Stop Line

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1417415
• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST30SW/119

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, 3421 (Aerial Photograph). SDV110669.

Pillbox visible on 1947 RAF aerial photograph. Part of the Taunton Stop-Line. It appears to be a polygonal type FW3/24, facing northwest to cover the Axe and an anti-tank ditch.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1975, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 FP 1118-1119 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359646.

A six-sided structure is visible.

Wills, H., 1985, Pillboxes. A Study of UK Defences 1940, 76 (Monograph). SDV336210.

Wills lists polygonal north-west facing pillbox of mixed construction at ST322011.

Dangerfield, M.E. + Dangerfield, J.D. + Tibbles, N., 1997, Pillbox in Wadbrook Coppice (Worksheet). SDV357526.

Type 24 Pillbox, thick walled. Built in the corner of a wood, buried up to the level of the embrasures. The entrance is via a gully and there are two steps down in the entrance passage. Now partly covered by vegetation.

Dobinson, C. S., 1998, The Taunton Stop Line. Component Listing, 4 (Report - non-specific). SDV109230.

Pillbox S.24 of type FW3/22 with 3ft 6in thick walls.

Foot, W., 2006, Defence Areas. A National Study of Second World War Anti-Invasion Landscapes in England, DA04-Wadbrook-S0001309 (Report - Survey). SDV360266.

Site visit 14th January 2003. Wadbrook defence area. Pillbox (Type FW3/24). Pillbox on the western edge of Wadbrook Coppice, facing the river. In bad condition, heavily overgrown.

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

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

A small six-sided structure, circa 5 by 6 metres in plan, is visible on aerial photographs taken in 1947. It is very likely to be the Second World War pillbox S.24 marked on Royal Engineers plans for the 1940 Taunton Stop Line. It is not visible on the later available aerial imagery when it seems to be completely obscured by vegetation. It is depicted on modern mapping and so has not been transcribed.

Powell-Thomas, A., 2017, The West Country's last Line of Defence. Taunton Stop Line, 76 (Monograph). SDV360594.

Part buried by the western corner of Wadbrook Coppice and covered in vegetation.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV109230	Report - non-specific: Dobinson, C. S.. 1998. The Taunton Stop Line. Component Listing. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England. AI/S/3. Photocopy. 4.
SDV110669	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 3421.
SDV336210	Monograph: Wills, H.. 1985. Pillboxes. A Study of UK Defences 1940. Pillboxes. Hardback Volume. 76.
SDV355681	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2014. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #93265 ]
SDV357526	Worksheet: Dangerfield, M.E. + Dangerfield, J.D. + Tibbles, N.. 1997. Pillbox in Wadbrook Coppice. 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
SDV359646	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1975. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1975 FP 1118-1119 11-APR-1947.
SDV360266	Report - Survey: Foot, W.. 2006. Defence Areas. A National Study of Second World War Anti-Invasion Landscapes in England. Council for British Archaeology/English Heritage. Digital. DA04-Wadbrook-S0001309.
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. 76.

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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