Just inside the Staffordshire border at Ellastone, close to where the river Dove marks the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire, this easily overlooked building stands at the side of the road by a stone road- bridge, appearing at first to look like a farm building/cattle shed of some kind, it is in fact a relic from WW2, a purpose built field gun emplacement, positioned to cover the bridge in the event of enemy forces rolling in, it's shape being disguised well by the pitched roof and two concrete pillars at the front.
Part of the 50 or so defensive structures along the stop line that follows the course of the river Dove, the building is a hexagonal shape, with a long back wall, which includes an entrace doorway, protected on the outside by an 18in thick blast wall.
Whatever weapon was intended to be housed here would have to have been rolled in through the 6ft high, 8ft wide front facing opening,
The concrete walls are all 18in thick, the ceiling being made from railway sleepers, supported by 1ft wide steel strips, 9ft apart, (possibly back to back angle section, as there was a groove or gap down the middle of each strip,) a void must exist above this ceiling and the corrugated roof above.
ceiling timbers...
Rear entrance opening, and blast wall...
A view of the bridge that it would have protected..
A wander across the bridge turned up this tall type 24 on the opposite side of the road,
I like the 'Negative' imprint of the wood shuttering used when the concrete was poured, ( I'm a bit sad like that!) gives a bit of a clue about how the things were made
It's view of the road was probably better 70 years ago,
Thanks for looking.
Part of the 50 or so defensive structures along the stop line that follows the course of the river Dove, the building is a hexagonal shape, with a long back wall, which includes an entrace doorway, protected on the outside by an 18in thick blast wall.
Whatever weapon was intended to be housed here would have to have been rolled in through the 6ft high, 8ft wide front facing opening,
The concrete walls are all 18in thick, the ceiling being made from railway sleepers, supported by 1ft wide steel strips, 9ft apart, (possibly back to back angle section, as there was a groove or gap down the middle of each strip,) a void must exist above this ceiling and the corrugated roof above.
ceiling timbers...
Rear entrance opening, and blast wall...
A view of the bridge that it would have protected..
A wander across the bridge turned up this tall type 24 on the opposite side of the road,
I like the 'Negative' imprint of the wood shuttering used when the concrete was poured, ( I'm a bit sad like that!) gives a bit of a clue about how the things were made
It's view of the road was probably better 70 years ago,
Thanks for looking.