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Summary

A rectangular pillbox is visible on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards on the east side of the railway, covering Town Weir. It is obscured by vegetation on later available aerial photographs. The pillbox would have been part of the Second world War Taunton Stop Line constructed in 1940.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1417414
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY29NE/200

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Engineers, 1940, Plans of Taunton Stop Line, Axminster Union & R.D. (Cartographic). SDV325259.

Pillbox recorded as S.43. on Royal Engineer's plan.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1424-1425 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

A rectangular structure is visible.

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

A rectangular structure is visible.

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

Possible square pill box visible on Royal Air Force aerial photograph overlooking railway and weir. Part of the Taunton Stop Line.

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

Wills lists a Polygonal west facing pillbox of mixed construction at SY297989.

Newbery, J. D., 1997, Pillbox near Town Wear (Worksheet). SDV325338.

Pillbox under railway bridge at bottom of Willhayes Park, off North Street Axminster, beside railway line. Difficult to access, covered by vegetation and trees.

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

Rectangular pillbox, no other details provided.

Bluesky, 2006 - 2007, Bluesky aerial photographs 2006 - 2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV341189.

Possible square vegetation covered structure visible on modern aerial photograph.

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

Structure depicted at this location on modern mapping.

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SY2898 08-SEP-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

A rectangular structure is 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 Second World War concrete block pillbox that forms part of the 1940-1941 Taunton Stop Line is visible as rectangular flat-roofed structure, 4 by 4.5 metres, on aerial photographs taken from 1947 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 but inaccessible in 1997, and is only just visible on aerial photographs dating from 2014 when it was covered with vegetation. The structure 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).
SDV325259	Cartographic: Royal Engineers. 1940. Plans of Taunton Stop Line. Royal Engineers Survey Plan circa July 1940. Unknown. Axminster Union & R.D..
SDV325338	Worksheet: Newbery, J. D.. 1997. Pillbox near Town Wear. Defence of Britain Project. Worksheet + Digital.
SDV336210	Monograph: Wills, H.. 1985. Wills, H. 1985 Pillboxes. Pillboxes. Unknown. 74.
SDV341189	Aerial Photograph: Bluesky. 2006 - 2007. Bluesky aerial photographs 2006 - 2007. Bluesky. Photograph (Digital).
SDV348725	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2012. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital). [Mapped feature: #93822 ]
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1424-1425 11-APR-1947.
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 SY2898 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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