Monument record MWX1458 - Second World War Pillbox adjacent to Wellington Monument, Swanage

A World War II type 25 'Armco' circular pillbox with horizontal concrete shuttering, built in four sections. It is located on the hard, at the foot of Wellington Tower on the north side of Peveril Point Road, Swanage. It was constructed in 1940-1, It is built of concrete and corrugated iron. The pillbox is visible as a structure on aerial photographs of 1951. A field visit in 1997 found the structure to be in a good condition.

Circular pillbox with horizontal concrete shuttering, built in four sections. 4 embrasures, 2 of which on S and SW sides have been blocked with concrete. Flat concrete shuttering top. The 2 embrasures facing E and SE measure 2ft 7ins x 12ins at the outer edge, with a 9ins sill and inside 11ins lintel. Thickness of wall 1ft. Circular concrete 'Armco' pillbox - faces NE (30 degrees). Concrete, with corrugated iron used as shuttering but removed. 2 embrasures (NE & E), the third filled with concrete during construction. In good condition but filled with earth and entrance blocked. Built into the shingle near the hard, on the N side of Peveril Point Road, Swanage (at the foot of Wellington Tower). The pillbox described above in (1) is visible as a structure on aerial photographs of 1951. <1> This site was digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset). [NGD note 07-03-23: The NRHE number comes out in the sea approx. 290m to the west of the location it is recorded at on the QGIS map. I suspect that the NRHE coordinates could be wrong as the description locates it at the base of the Wellington memorial, which is where MWX1458 is located on the QGIS map.]

Record last edited

Mar 7 2023 5:20PM