This is a bit pic heavy so I will say sorry in advance. I decided to have a look at some of the pillboxes dotted about Hartlepool the other day and have just got round to posting them up. After a quick look on the DoB off I went, I found most of the ones I was looking at but can now confirm that pillbox S0002917 is non existent and that pillbox on the coast south of Steetley Magnasite is also non existent anyway on to the ones that are still there
First up we have pillbox S0002921 a Vickers machine gun emplacement. How long this one will survive is anyone's guess as there is a large new housing development being built behind it.
unusual lump of concrete on the pillbox base
internals
Pillbox S0002918 The DoB has this to say about it... Possible pillbox. A small rectangular structure with long open front. Signs of telephone wire connections. Probable use as ARP post with secondary role as pillbox. Faces down main road. There was no chance of getting any internals as it was sealed, I'll let you decide for yourselves what it is
It was built using bricks from the local colliery brick works (Horden Colliery, Shotton)
Next up is pillbox S0002920 another Vickers. Talking to one of the locals, he told me that this one and the next one were sealed up recently because the local druggys were using them as drug dens. The front embrasure of this one is actually part of someones back garden now
internals taken through the rifle embrasures
the shutters were still in place as well
Pillbox S0002916 another Vickers. This one is now part of a very posh housing estate, on private land and fenced off from the golf course. To get the photos I knocked on one of the houses and explained that I wanted permission to photograph the pillbox and ended up giving the young lady a quick history lesson because she didn't have a clue what it was. Her reply was and I quote "ooooh I've always wondered what that was, they wanted to knock it down you know but the council wouldn't let them. There was hell on about it from the residents because it's an eyesore. Feel free to photograph it"... Bloody heathens anyway I digress
internals through rifle embrasures and the remaining main embrasure
Bricked up entrance they must have bricked it up from the inside and then exited through one of the embrasures
gun table and front embrasure
Right I have saved the best till last. Pillbox S0002915 yet again a Vickers but the cleanest on I have ever seen. It is right on the golf course and as I was taking the photo's the head greens keeper frightened the s**t out of me by creeping up and shouting "what the f**k do you think your doing". I explained and he said the club captain had complained to him and told him to chase me because I wasn't a member and I wasn't playing golf. I was escorted off the course but I had already got the pics lol. The only one I didn't get was one of the gun table but that was just a standard vickers type...
How clean is this
The best bits...The shutters were intact
Well that's all folks hope you enjoyed and I didn't bore you too much
Cheers for looking
Jon
First up we have pillbox S0002921 a Vickers machine gun emplacement. How long this one will survive is anyone's guess as there is a large new housing development being built behind it.
unusual lump of concrete on the pillbox base
internals
Pillbox S0002918 The DoB has this to say about it... Possible pillbox. A small rectangular structure with long open front. Signs of telephone wire connections. Probable use as ARP post with secondary role as pillbox. Faces down main road. There was no chance of getting any internals as it was sealed, I'll let you decide for yourselves what it is
It was built using bricks from the local colliery brick works (Horden Colliery, Shotton)
Next up is pillbox S0002920 another Vickers. Talking to one of the locals, he told me that this one and the next one were sealed up recently because the local druggys were using them as drug dens. The front embrasure of this one is actually part of someones back garden now
internals taken through the rifle embrasures
the shutters were still in place as well
Pillbox S0002916 another Vickers. This one is now part of a very posh housing estate, on private land and fenced off from the golf course. To get the photos I knocked on one of the houses and explained that I wanted permission to photograph the pillbox and ended up giving the young lady a quick history lesson because she didn't have a clue what it was. Her reply was and I quote "ooooh I've always wondered what that was, they wanted to knock it down you know but the council wouldn't let them. There was hell on about it from the residents because it's an eyesore. Feel free to photograph it"... Bloody heathens anyway I digress
internals through rifle embrasures and the remaining main embrasure
Bricked up entrance they must have bricked it up from the inside and then exited through one of the embrasures
gun table and front embrasure
Right I have saved the best till last. Pillbox S0002915 yet again a Vickers but the cleanest on I have ever seen. It is right on the golf course and as I was taking the photo's the head greens keeper frightened the s**t out of me by creeping up and shouting "what the f**k do you think your doing". I explained and he said the club captain had complained to him and told him to chase me because I wasn't a member and I wasn't playing golf. I was escorted off the course but I had already got the pics lol. The only one I didn't get was one of the gun table but that was just a standard vickers type...
How clean is this
The best bits...The shutters were intact
Well that's all folks hope you enjoyed and I didn't bore you too much
Cheers for looking
Jon
