Monument record TQ 77 SE 148 - World War II anti tank Blockhouse, near Bell's Lane, Hoo St. Werburgh

Eastern boundary of orchard off Bell's Lane. Rectangular for 3-pr. or 6-pr. WW1 naval gun. Contains plaque "1940- Hells Corner- BY BEF". In good condition.(1)

This feature is noted in the English Heritage report on the Second World War Stop Line which ran from Hoo St Werburgh to Higham Marshes, part of the wider English Heritage study of the Hoo Peninsula. The report states that it is a Second World War reinforced concrete Type 28 artillery pillbox with brick shuttering to the east of Bells Lane and south of Ratcliffe Highway, on the east side of Hoo St Werburgh. It is further described as a rectangular anti-tank gun emplacement for 2-pounder or 6-punder First World War naval gun. The report states also that the pillbox survives as an extant structure, and is listed at Grade II, NHLE 139 1937. The pillbox was seen on a field visit in 2014 and was surrounded by a fence on private land. The roof had a chamfered edge and it contains a plaque "1940 - Hell's Corner - BY BEF". (2)

Description from record TQ 77 SE 1253:
Standard concrete construction anti-tank pillbox. No interior access.
Owner : Private
Publicly accessible : No
How accessed for survey :
Tourism Potential : Possible heritage trail
Condition : good
Date of visit : 11/05/06

A rectangular anti-tank gun emplacement of concrete construction with brick shuttering. Roof with chamfered edge. A type 28 to house a two or six-pounder quick-firing gun facing north along the stop-line. Type 28s are rarer than type 24s and are a much larger form of pillbox requiring a large rear entrance to wheel in the gun and a larger embrasure for the same, supported by smaller infantry embrasures.

The pillbox is deliberately located behind (to the west of) a hedge line to cover the anti-tank ditch (now in-filled) and field approaches to their north and east. The landscape here is relatively low-lying but the pillbox has been positioned to take advantage of a slight rise just below the Hoo St Werburgh ridge, providing the pillboxes with greater fields of fire. (3)

Concrete anti-tank pillbox with brick shuttering. Non-hexagonal 'double' pillbox [probably type 28]. Rectangular anti-tank gun emplacement for 2-pr. or 6-pr. WW1 naval gun. Contains plaque "1940- Hell's Corner- BY BEF". In good condition. Approx. 170 metres from junction of footpath to Five Bells Lane, in corner of orchard. (1)

A Type 28 gun emplacement constructed of concrete with brick shuttering. The roof has a chamfered edge. The gun emplacement is third in line of a total of four pillboxes (see HOB UIDs 1418711, 1426745 and 1418684). Grade II listed. (2)

The Second World War pillbox described in authorities 1 and 2 is visible on aerial photographs and has been mapped as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. The pillbox is one element within the supporting defences of a Stop Line (Monument 1542577) constructed in 1940 across the south western third of the Hoo Peninsula, from the north bank of the Medway to the south bank of the Thames at Higham Creek. Other elements of the Stop Line defence system in the immediate vicinity of this pillbox include parts of the anti tank ditch (Monument 1542610 and Monument 1542630), the pillboxes noted in authority 2, and two additional small structures, probably representing gun emplacements (Monuments ?? and ???). (3-5)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> historic england, 2014, Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project: Second World War Stop Line: Hoo St Werburgh to Higham Marshes. Research Report 9-2014. (Bibliographic reference). SKE31599.

<3> Victor Smith and Ron Crowdy, Thames Gateway Assesment: Gazetteer of Defence Sites (Index). SKE6445.

<4> MMRG, 11/05/06, Type 28 A pill box Bells Lane Hoo (Photograph). SKE14521.

<5> 11th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, 18/01/41, War diary. (Collection). SKE14305.

<6> MMRG, 11/05/06, Type 28 A pill box Bells Lane Hoo (Photograph). Ske14521.

<7> 11th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, 18/01/41, War diary. (Collection). Ske14305.

<8> Council for British Archaeology, 2002, Defence of Britain Project (Digital archive). SKE32029.