WWI Ammo Factory

Hi,
Here are some photos of a lookout tower which defended an ammunition factory in WWI
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The last photo is of a sign on the top of the tower - this clearly isn't from shortly after WWI when it would have been abandones - which makes me wonder, who is maintaining it?

Sam

Not sure to be honest. But sometimes the Forestry Commission may use it as a watch tower. Apart from that, no idea I'm afraid.

Looks a nice one though. Anything else left in the area?

Sal

There is another one about 1 mile north of that one, on slightly higher ground. apart from there is the whole ammuntiion factory, and some admiralty testing centre which apparently used to test metals during the war.

This is where one series of 'Bad Lads Army' was filmed

Hope you like!

Sam

To be honest it looks more like the base of a ww2 era water tank

Someone else has said the same thing to me, however, why would a water tower have a handrail going round the top. And what appears to be the bottom step to a flight of stairs on one side, which does not overhang like the other sides?

Sam
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Possible location of demolished steps?

Interesting, have you had a look at the ammunition factory?

Yeh, i've looked into the factory from a nearby road, and the research place from outside. According to someone i know who has walked into the factory (which has signs on the outside saying "contaminated land") its partly demolished, and has lots of underground rooms.

Ah that sounds very interesting, especially underground rooms. Go check it out inside!

Yes, will have to wait until another school holiday (only one month!), and wait until i can get one of my mates sround who also finds old buildings interesting!

We made a program for a local radio station investigating tunnels underneeth a nearby town, and found lots underground places, strange holes in walls which 'should' just have the underneeth of a street behind it. And the basement of a brewery which was demolished in about 1800. Which was left undiscovered with someones back garden under it until summer 2006!

Sam

Yeah its interesting all the underground stuff you can find.
Off topic, but as it happens last year we found a long forgotten and very deep basement from an old brewery building in Leicester. Very dodgy to get down as the stairs had rotted, but great fun!

That tower's an interesting structure. I haven't seen one before. Just had a look in my military and aviation archeology books but can't find anything like it, so can't comment on what it was used for. Very nice find though, and I'd like to see what else you come up with in the vicinity.

Cheers

yeh, i'll have a look and see what i can find safely over the holiday.

Sam

Talking of finding hollow spaces in the ground.

I remember my Dad mentioning about someone in Marple who found a badly capped off well in their garden when they used some heavy plant machinery in the garden & it sunk into the ground.

The historical society were interested because no old maps showed a well on that spot.

Looking at some old maps from 1888 the cellar isn't marked on, but i expect they aren't old enough if it was demolished about 75 years pervious to that.

Sam

sam1990 said:

Someone else has said the same thing to me, however, why would a water tower have a handrail going round the top. And what appears to be the bottom step to a flight of stairs on one side, which does not overhang like the other sides?

Sam
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Possible location of demolished steps?

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Nice graphics work

They are WW2 era anti-aircraft defences. Each one would have carried 2 bofors guns.

krela said:

Each one would have carried 2 bofors guns.

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I was looking at pics of Bofors AA guns only just yesterday. That was some serious hardware.

Cheers

sam1990 said:

has lots of underground rooms.

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Decent chance that they're firing ranges or air raid shelters, maybe both.

Sam, These are WW 2 Bofors Light Anti-Aircraft Gun towers, mainly used for the protection of airfields and vulnerable places. Each one is actually two closely positioned towers overlapping each other, the tower to the left (as viewed) had a single 40mm Bofors gun on top with built in ammunition lockers around the edge. The right hand tower had the control equipment, telephones etc. Some of these towers had the sides bricked in. Current examples are at: Filton Airfield, Portishead, Chelmsford, Weston-super-Mare, Brooklands, Holton Heath ( the one you illustrate and one other), Gatwick and West Malling. I have only ever seen them in southern England. There is also a much shorter concrete version.
I hope this is of some help

Bob J