A mixed day

[night crawler]

Well I went off to see if I could get some odds and ends finished off round the Pangbourne area today, the aim was to get some photos of of the gun emplacement on Gatehapton Bridge, the pillbox by the rail embankment at Pangbourne the walk along the river bank on the Whitchurch side to see if I could photo the pillboxes on that side.
Any way here are some of the photo's.

Wee I was a bit taken back to find the emplacement was at the top of the embankment on the end of the bridge

Not too easy to get to and it is on Railway land so decided to give that a miss. It does still have the hold fast studs in place as you can see them from the train as you go by. Fluffy can confirm this.

You can just make out the emplacement at the top here.

No doubt Fluffy whill be intested to see this though I'm not sure what it was for. It's just along from the bridge.

Looking across the river you can see this Type22 from my Thames set.

This is the one in Pangbourne by the rail embankment.

Turned out to be a Type28 Twin, I was expecting a 28A

No point in looking inside, locked up tight.
There used to be another pillbox nearer to the river but that seems to have been demolished.
I did go looking for the two type 22's along the river at Whitchurch but decided to give it a miss as it ment trecking over someones land so I decided to give it a miss for now.
After that I went down to the river Kennet so sus out the area I need to go next and the Blue line.

 

[jonney]

Mate I'm jealous you seem to keep finding those type 28's

 

[shockwave]

nice work m8 thanks for sharing

 

[night crawler]

Jonney I think that may be the last of them, the Sullham valley was supose to have 22 of them think I have located 19 One I have yet to visit up near the M4. I suspect there was another where the motorway went that was distroyed when it was built.

 

[fluffy5518]

Nice one Mr Crawler you do get to some awkward locations,TOP marks for that.
The Gun Emplacement above Gatehampton viaduct confuses me a tad-not difficault i know-BUT where was the ammo for the gun stored ? All that is evident is a slab of concrete and a circle of retaining bolts.There is no room anywhere on or about the viaduct for any ammo lockers or other storage areas.

Now the question is has that small building in the adjacent field-that you photo'd got anything to do with the emplacement ? I have been meaning to get down there for a while now,did you go inside !!? Any answers anyone ?

 

[night crawler]

I did look inside and it's has a devideing wall, one side the roof has fallen in the other is intact. I did think it could be an ammo store as well mind you it's a treck to it and the embankment is steep.

 

[jonney]

This may sound daft but is it possible that with the embankment being so steep that the shells were brought in by rail and were stored in lockers under the emplacement with the access now being covered

 

[night crawler]

Good question but remember most of the emplacemnts and pillboxes never saw a gun as the production stopped in 1941. There used to be a building on the opposite side of the track as well but that was bemolished years ago. The whole embankment is very overgrown so I can't see a stor bing there but looking at the platform makes me think was it one of the ones they stopped production on. Face it there is nothing stopping you falling off the edge and gun pits at least had the lockers which stopped you doing this.

 

[fluffy5518]

Yes,good point Mr C !! The buildings on the other side of the line would have been the water treatment and supply buildings for the GWR water troughs located here at Lower Basildon !!

 

[Alansworld]

night crawler,

Love your pillboxes. I used to have quite an interest in them myself, as I'm literally surrounded by them - I live in Newbury on an island with the Kennet & Avon Canal on one side, and a little old river on the other. The K&A from Reading, westwards into Wiltshire, has pillboxes littered all along its length, many in super condition and very visible, and quite a few around Newbury. I looked at your website and you don't seem to have ventured in this direction?

A

 

[night crawler]

Don't worry that is next on my list to work down that side so I might pop in for a cup of tea.