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Summary

Pillbox in north-east corner of sportsfield. Part of the Second World War Taunton Stop Line constructed in 1940. It is not clearly visible on the 1940s aerial photographs and may have been disguised; it is visible as a flat-roofed structure on later aerial photographs taken from 1976 onwards.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1485438
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY39NW/78

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

A pale square feature resembling a hayrick is visible on the south side of the hedgeline but the feature is not clearly distinguishable.

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

No structure is clearly distinguishable along the hedgeline.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431/3200 (Aerial Photograph). SDV132197.

Pillbox visible on Royal Air Force aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 1976, OS/76052, OS/76052 V 056 08-MAY-1976 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359311.

A flat-roofed five sided structure is visible.

Horner, B., 1994, Taunton Stop Line Survey (Personal Comment). SDV348828.

Site visit 29th July 1994. Pillbox visible from air in north-east corner of sportsfield. Appears to be polygonal.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY3098 08-SEP-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

Three sides of a flat roofed structure are visible.

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

A flat-roofed, possibly polygonal structure visible on aerial photographs taken in 1976 is partly visible on aerial photographs taken in 2014, but is not clearly distinguishable from the hedgeline on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s. A pale rectangular feature immediately to the south is visible on the earliest available images taken in 1947. It resembles a hayrick, and could have camouflaged a Second World War pillbox that was concealed in the hedgeline.
The structure is depicted on modern mapping so has not been transcribed as part of this project.
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

SDV132197	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2431/3200. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Unknown.
SDV348725	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2012. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital). [Mapped feature: #94485 ]
SDV348828	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 1994. Taunton Stop Line Survey. Not Applicable.
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.
SDV359311	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1976. OS/76052. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). OS/76052 V 056 08-MAY-1976.
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.
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
SDV359479	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2014. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY3098 08-SEP-2014.

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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