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Summary

Hexagonal pillbox above the mill race at Weycroft Mill. Part of the Weycroft defence area on the Taunton Stop Line constructed in 1940.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and structures associated with the Weycroft Defence Area on the World War Two 'Taunton Stop Line'

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY39NW/89
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Pillbox recorded as S.33 on Royal Engineer's plan.

Wills, H., 1985, Pillboxes. A Study of UK Defences 1940, 74 (Monograph). SDV336210.

Wills lists polgonal pillbox of mixed construction facing west at SY308999.

Hayne, D. + Weston, H., 1996, Pillbox, Weycroft Mill (Worksheet). SDV356738.

Pillbox above the mill race at Weycroft Mill. Hexagonal in construction, six sides, each 8 feet in length. Entrance on south side, all others have hole for firing or observation. Interior concrete baffle wall with 'S.33' inscribed. Walls 2 feet thick.

Horner, B., 1997, World War II structures at Weycroft Mill (Personal Comment). SDV325623.

This is one of the few examples of a type 22 pillbox on the Devon stretch of the Taunton stop-line. The other is at Axebridge, Colyton, and is thought to have been for a bridge demolition party. This one overlooks the Weycroft Bridge and may have served the same function. It is of rendered/shuttered concrete on concrete block construction. Sited at the top of the scarp above Weycroft Mill and facing northwest. Internal anti-ricochet wall has stencilled 'S.33' on it.

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

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

Foot, W., 2005, Defence Areas. A National Study of Second World War Anti-Invasion Landscapes in England, DA03-Weycroft-S0016346, p5, fig. 5 (Report - Survey). SDV360266.

Site visit 14th January 2003. Weycroft defence area. Type 22 pillbox located at the edge of a steep bank above the river Axe to the north of Weycroft Manor House. Faces north-west. One of only two of this type on the Taunton Stop Line. It still has its stencilled reference code, 'S.33' on the interior blast wall. Located by a public footpath, the interior is accessible. In good condition.

Passmore, A. + Passmore, M., 2010, The Taunton Stop Line, 2 (Leaflet). SDV345322.

The photograph shows a pillbox on the hillside behind the former Weycroft Mill, near Axminster. Other details: Photograph.

Powell-Thomas, A., 2017, The West Country's last Line of Defence. Taunton Stop Line, 77 (Monograph). SDV360594.

Unusual Type 22 pillbox comprising a brick structure with a corrugated iron roof covered in concrete blocks. It's original reference code, 'S33' can still be seen stencilled on the wall inside.

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4919 - Site Visit to Pillboxes and Anti-Tank Obstacles Near Axminster

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