| Name: | Pillbox, Fordham Bridge |
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| SMR Number: | 10970 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Grid Reference: | TL 929 270 |
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| Map Sheet: | TL92NW |
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| Parish: | ALDHAM, COLCHESTER, ESSEX |
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Summary
From a meadow at the side of the road a type FW3/22 pillbox faces north towards Fordham Bridge.
Full description
From a meadow at the side of the road a type FW3/22 pillbox faces north towards Fordham Bridge just 50 yards away. It is hexagonal, built of concrete, and measures 12ft 6in x 7ft high. It has 15in thick walls and an internal 'Y-shaped' central pillar. The loopholes - one on each face - measure 10in wide x 12in high, although the rear loophole, beside the entrance, is a slit 6in wide x 13in high. The entrance is a 6ft high 'porch-type' with a 5ft high doorway. This is, unusually, concreted up to half its height, presumably to prevent flooding of the interior from the river nearby. At the rear of the porch, facing the entrance, the wall is serrated to prevent bullets ricocheting into the interior. <1>
Three photos of site. <2>
SITE ASSESSMENT: The pillbox has a distinct tilt to one side.
<1> Wills, H, 1985, Pillboxes, plan, p.28 (DESC TEXT). SEX31431.
<2> Nash, Fred, 1997, Pillbox - three frames (Photograph). SEX53143.
Monument Types
- PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22) (WWII, Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Associated Events
- Field visits by F Nash, (Ref: Nash COL July 1997)
Sources and further reading
| <1> | DESC TEXT: Wills, H. 1985. Pillboxes. plan, p.28. |
| <2> | Photograph: Nash, Fred. 1997. Pillbox - three frames. |
Related records
| 10971 | Parent of: Pillbox (destroyed), NW corner of Fiddler's Wood, Fordham Bridge (Monument) |
Images
 Pillbox, Fordham Bridge © Essex County Council |  Pillbox, Fordham Bridge © Essex County Council |
 Pillbox, Fordham Bridge © Essex County Council | |
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