Building record 86/1/18 - WWII Pillbox, Royal Ordnance Depot

Square brick World War II pillbox with concrete roof, with three embrasures. Entrance to south with interior blast wall. Immediately north of the main east entrance, Royal Ordnance Depot, Weedon.

{1} Brick and concrete building with four small embrasures, constructed against the depot's external wall. Entrance on south side with interior blast wall.

{2} Small brick and concrete building with small embrasures located immediately north of the Depot's main eastern entrance and abutting the west face of the Depot's eastern enclosing wall. Entrance to south with interior blast wall. No interior fittings or features observed. Presumed of c.WWII origin. Currently derelict. Building number 88.

{3} Confirm WWII origin as "protected posts for guards or as firewatcher's posts." …… " At first sight they appear to be air-raid shelters; however they lack the loos mortared brickwork panel on the back or side of the structure provided as an emergency exit if the front entrance to a shelter became blocked. Both structures have a viewing slit in each wall formed by the removal or omission of a single brick, a feature not found in air-raid shelters. An interesting modification is the provision of a viewing slit in the entrance blast wall allowing all-round observation during an attack. It is worth noting that the usual air-raid shelter provision on military sites was a system of trenches, as military personnel were expected to continue working or firing until the last possible moment. The site history comments that civilian shelters were provided in the casements under the even-numbered Storehouses."

{5} There are at least three pillboxes (Type 26) on this site, all built to a common and unique design. Each pillbox has three loopholes, one of which fires through the entrance, which makes the inside rather cramped. Brick and concrete. All in good condition. Photo of each plus scale plan/section. The other two are at SP626595 (SMR 86/1/19) and at SP620596 (86/1/34).

<1> CADMAN G.E., 1996, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49840.

<2> Cadman G., 2014, 20th Century Military Archaeology in Northamptonshire: Logs 1, 2 & 3, p.7 (unchecked) (Report). SNN104868.

<3> MENUGE A.; WILLIAMS A., 1999, Royal Ordnance Depot, Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Report). SNN63064.

<4> Armishaw, A., 1996, Weedon Depot photos, (checked) (Photographic prints (COL)). SNN52331.

<5> Armishaw, A., 1996, Defence of Britain Project Site Report Form, (checked) (Recording Form (Not SMR)). SNN51418.

<6> Migrated Defence of Britain Project database record originally compiled from various sources (Database). SNN112922.

<7> Historic England, Undated, Defence of Britain, DEB01 (Archive). SNN112947.

Record last edited

Jun 16 2023 11:51AM