The Sulham Valley

Sunday I decided to go and investigate the Sulham Valley. My good mate Fluffy has posted some stuff from here already but I felt it was time to take a leaf from him and follow his footprints. The stop line here runs for about 8 miles from Pangboure to Theale where it meets up with the river Kennet. I had my map showing various places some pillboxes others where the ditch ran. What started out as a strole round the ones near Pangbourne turned into a frenzy at Tadley. This is the first part I have done I still have to do the other section. Enjoy som first class Pillbox porn.


This one Fluffy has posted before and like he said is blocked up. As you can see it is near a Houseing estate which would not have been there in WW2 not sure it it was there when I used to pass it on the way to school

This is the bit Fluffy did not show and was someting to do with the defences round here
I did manage to get my pocket camera through the Pistol loophole and get a photo inside but will have to post that later as it's not uploaded.

Unlike poor old Fluffy who probably can't get is 40D in the loophole I managed this with my compact

The distroyed one Fluffy has posted. At first I thought it was in one piece till I noticed the large crack

One on the corner

That is a large loophole which went to prove this pillbox was a type 28 twin with two large gun positions.

Neaby is a another of those sluice gate constructions

This is looking back towards the wrecked pillbox

Onto Fluffy's infantry box. Map shows there were two here

And if you look to the left you can make out the other. I took some photo's of the inside and the number on it as well. Inside has been used for cattle but there is one dividing wall. Will post a photo when I sort out some more.

Inside taken from the front loophole, did not fancy walking through the shit

I'll leave you with this photo as it is the next one along and I managed to spot it from just along from the Infantry box whan I was looking at the river Pang. It was the first of the next six I came across in a half mile area

Love the double embrasured 28-never seen one myself.In picture 2 what do you think the structure in the foreground is ?

Philip said:

Love the double embrasured 28-never seen one myself.In picture 2 what do you think the structure in the foreground is ?

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Good stuff as usual NC. I believe the sluice gates were there to flood the anti-tank ditch that used to exist here. Love the type 28A twin, a rare treat indeed.

Blimey that really is first Class, well done Crawler. Jonneys already wearing his Rubber Pants with Chinstraps, Hell be donning the full Wet Suit after these!!!

Black Shuck said:

Blimey that really is first Class, well done Crawler. Jonneys already wearing his Rubber Pants with Chinstraps, Hell be donning the full Wet Suit after these!!!

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Already donned mate and I've got my aqualung ready just incase it gets too wet

Oh Blimey! Jonneys in full Drool Mode!!

Too right mate. NC you never stop do you?

Right start panting here is some more.


Here you look out the two loopholes but take note of the roof


Check the side on this one. Thing looks like it took a right pasteing


That is looking out the roof, you can just see a second hole a bit further along


You should be able to see the damage sustained on the outside on this photo.


The next pillboxes are in that direction and I was sure I could see one in the distance but I decided to walk round the road as I did not want to tangle with the horns on those things


This is the next one I will leave you with for now so you drool about what is to come. Past that there are two more pillboxes and to my left is another in the trees about a hundred meters away and last of all to the left of the pillbox in the tree line on the edge of the photo is another. Five pillboxes all with in 400 meters of each other. I stood there not knowing which way to turn or go first like John Balushi in Animal House jumping around and just to show what I saw when I went round the other side of the pillbox.

I'll post the rest tomorrow

Awesome NC I'm drooling

Ok keep drooling go back to the previous one


One of those supereb type 28 twins again with the loopholes bricked up (make good cow sheds)


Inside very dirty but you can just see a gun steady in the floor


On to the back to back ones


Other side of the two Typoe 28's


Front is a bit beaten up


Inside was a bit dirty in more ways that one. Can't see why any one would want to go in here and look at porn


Next one in line which is another twin


Bit of beating as well

Those two T28s are very near to each other...not seen them that close before, although the MGs in my area are in tandem too but one on higher ground than the other in each case. Interesting stuff.

Carrying on with the last one

Inside was not that good and the side chamber had a fire in as sometime


Quite welll lost in the woods now as you can see.


This the last one in my first post which is not far away


Last one which is about 200 meters away and makes up the last of the group I visited.
It is fenced off and a bank has been built up at the front to the house (big one) does not see much of it


Another Type 28 twin loophole. You can see the bank in front.


Did not venture inside though it was possable but was used at some time for cattle


This view is looking in the direction of the fiirst Type 28 twin again.
This was a great explore for me and I still have to go back to finish what I started, also notice is need to sort my Flickr photo's into the correct order.
Hop eyou enjoyed them as much as I did finding them and I'll post the second insallment in due course.

Just an update. I have updated my Panoramio to show the pillbox positions on Google earth though I have to admit some one called home gard has posted aready. I have started putting the pillboxes I have visited on Google maps but this will be a slow process due to the amount.
This set from the Sulham Valley were taken between Pangbourne and Tidmarsh and most of them can be seen on Google earth. Thi sstop line I have been going along is expanding more than I expected.

Hi guy's just to give an update as Sat I went and did the second half of the Sulham Valley from Tidmarsh to Theal only time I was accompanied by a guy called Tony who really knew his stuff about the GHQ stop lines in so much as he knew where the Anti Tank ditch ran. We spent ni on 6 hours waling around and I lost count of the pillboxes we visited even come across a young lady who was photographing them for a university project. so at the end of the day we had found pillboxes , the ditch, dragon's teeth and road blocks. once I have sorted them I'll start a new thread so Johnny get your wetsuit on yoo'll be wetting yourself.

If this is as good as it sounds I might have to nip down to the local surf shop myself.

DOn't know how I am going to work this but we visited 18 sites, comprising of 13 pillboxes 2 0f which were type 22 the rest were either type 28 or 28 twin, 2 bases, the line of the anti tank ditch the concrete stopper by the brook one set of large dragons teeth and 2 sets of road blocks. I think we misse don epillbox as I was not sure where it was but by that time we had been out nearly 6 hours. I think we hut the mother load as all this was with in about 3 miles.
BTW I have started logging all my pillboxes on Google maps I'll put up a link when I finished.

Fair play NC, Only yesterday I was going to walk from Theale to Pangbourne, shooting these as I went, but it would have meant walking a good 10 miles so I decided against it! Looks like you've saved me the trouble!!!

night crawler said:

BTW I have started logging all my pillboxes on Google maps I'll put up a link when I finished.

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Looking forward to it; I'm local and have poked around a couple.