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Summary

A square pillbox is visible on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards along the railway, at the western edge of Axminster. Part of the Axminster fortified area on the Taunton Stop Line constructed in 1940.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY29NE/312

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 RP 3199-3200 22-JAN-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359315.

A small structure is visible.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431/3199 (Aerial Photograph). SDV109622.

Pillbox visible on RAF 1948 aerial photograph. Sited on east side of railway line south of junction. Covers river Axe to west.

Wills, H., 1985, Wills, H. 1985 Pillboxes, 74 (Monograph). SDV336210.

Wills lists polgonal pillbox of mixed construction facing west at SY291981.

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

Location plan in HER.

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

Rectangular pillbox, no other information provided.

Hunt, D., 2006, River Axe Defences (Correspondence). SDV325537.

A rectangular Type 26 pillbox, quite massive and would appear to be shell proof plus with walls about 51ins thick. The author believes that the Type 26 variant of pillboxes were placed on or near railways and were specially designed for this role.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

A square structure is depicted.

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

A Second World War concrete block pillbox that forms part of the 1940-1941 Taunton Stop Line is visible as flat-roofed structure, 4 metres square, on aerial photographs taken from 1948 onwards.
The 1948 RAF prints held by Historic England have been recorded here as an additional source because there is a possibility that the prints may have been processed differently to those held by Devon County Council. This would potentially result in images on which archaeological features show slightly differently.
It was recorded as extant in 2006, and is depicted on the modern mapping so it has not been transcribed as part of this project.

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.
SDV109622	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2431/3199. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper).
SDV325537	Correspondence: Hunt, D.. 2006. River Axe Defences. Letter.
SDV336210	Monograph: Wills, H.. 1985. Wills, H. 1985 Pillboxes. Pillboxes. Unknown. 74.
SDV359315	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2431. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2431 RP 3199-3200 22-JAN-1948.
SDV359352	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2016. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #94484 ]
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
SDV360458	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 1994. Taunton Stop Line Survey. Not Applicable.

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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