Dunmill Lock Pillboxes

[Alansworld]

Just before Hungerford, on the A4, heading west, there's a turnoff for Lower Denford. Passing through the village you reach the Kennet and Avon Canal, and Dunmill Lock. Up on the hill next to the lock there's a pair of pillboxes looking down onto the canal. On their other sides they're right on the road.

These were taken a while ago, when you could still explore them. More recently, I notice, they've been pinned down, with stout bars blocking all entrances.

Alan

 

[WinchItIn]

Looks like a nice pair of Type 28's.
Pictures look great. Good to see a large double embrasured pillbox.

 

[night crawler]

Ah on eo fthe two Type 28 twins on the K & A canal Nice one but not good new about the bars over the loopholes and entrance.

 

[hydealfred]

Nice shots AL. Thanks for posting.

 

[cptpies]

Thanks Alan, some nice shots there. Considering their proximity to the road we are lucky they haven't been demo'd as a hazard to traffic. Sealed entrances is a small price to pay for keeping them extant in my book.

 

[Alansworld]

Yep, as you can see, they are very close to the road indeed. It always surprises me that some drunken oik hasn't yet put his Capri into one, though I think the Capri would come off worse.

I don't think they're allowed to demolish pillboxes are they? Though I do know of one, on a farmer's land, which, last time I checked, was just a heap of flint and rubble.

A

 

[Foxylady]

These are great, Alan. The unusual brick shuttering again too. They look like Dutch bricks. Wrong century, I know, but did Dutch barges ever go up the canal? They used bricks as ballast in ships, and when left behind they were used as building materials. It's a long shot, but might be something to do with that.
Gorgeous spot there.

 

[cptpies]

I don't think they're allowed to demolish pillboxes are they?

A

Unfortunately if one is on your land you can do what you want to it unless it is listed. I believe you can count the number of listed pillboxes in this country on one of Mickey Mouses hands.

 

[night crawler]

If you look on the information boads about the canals you will Find it says West Bershire CC is commted to keeping them as they are of historic value. If they have been distroied like at Pangbourne and the on eI know of at Fyfield then it was done a long time ago, possably as a prelude to the D Day landings in assessing what it took to distroy one.

 

[smiffy]

Unfortunately if one is on your land you can do what you want to it unless it is listed. I believe you can count the number of listed pillboxes in this country on one of Mickey Mouses hands.

....there was a thread on here a while back which lead to a petition to prevent the demolition of a pillbox in a farmhouse garden....surrey somewhere??? as I recall.........I think the request to demolish was allowed in the end despite many signatories....in Gloucestershire and the Welsh border area alone I know of a few that have disappeared over the last 10 years or so......you wouldn't consider knocking down a castle and thats how they should be viewed I reckons....as an equally important part of Britains history..
Great post and cracking photos by the way cheers !they do look very 'purposeful' lurking at the roadside there..........