Building record TQ 67 SE 1200 - Shornemead Fort pillbox, Shorne Marshes
Summary
Location
| Grid reference | TQ 69532 74845 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | TQ67SE |
| County | KENT |
| District | GRAVESHAM, KENT |
| Civil Parish | SHORNE, GRAVESHAM, KENT |
Map
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
Second World War octagonal pillbox about 3.5 m across and let into the flood defence bank on a stepped concrete base, about 180 m. east of Shornemead Fort. Its superstructure is no longer extant and appears to have been a flat roof supported on steel girders. There appears to have been river-facing and side-facing apertures, covered with flapped shutters, part of whose fixings remain. It was probably built in 1941 as part of the defences of the formerly-existing wartime emergency battery a short distance to the rear, and would have been decommissioned by 1945.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : Yes
How accessed for survey : On the riverside public footpath
Tourism Potential : Lends itself to inclusion in a defence heritage trail
Condition : Very poor
Date of visit : 29/01/07
Description from record TQ 67 SE 228:
On river wall, 200 m East of Shornemead Fort. Concrete, facing North across Thames. Entrance on landward side. Mainly buried (1), site photographs (2-8).A pillbox with a square base, and an octagonal short wall on top with cut off i-beams set into it. (9)
This pillbox was seen at TQ 6954 7485 on 1953 RAF aerial photogaphs and mapped as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. (3)
Additional references (10-11)
Smith, V.T.C., 29/01/07, Verbal Communication (Verbal communication). SKE14028.
<1> Victor Smith and Ron Crowdy, Thames Gateway Assesment: Gazetteer of Defence Sites (Index). SKE6445.
<2> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9420.
<3> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9859.
<4> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9866.
<5> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10003.
<6> 1941, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10113.
<7> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10271.
<8> 1978, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10929.
<9> Wessex Archaeology, 2005, North Kent Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey: Phase ll: Field Assessment Year Two Report (Unpublished document). SWX12323.
<10> Council for British Archaeology, 2002, Defence of Britain Project (Digital archive). SKE32029.
<11> Smith, V.T.C., 29/01/07, Verbal Communication (Verbal communication). Ske14028.
Sources/Archives (12)
- --- SKE14028 Verbal communication: Smith, V.T.C.. 29/01/07. Verbal Communication.
- <1> SKE6445 Index: Victor Smith and Ron Crowdy. Thames Gateway Assesment: Gazetteer of Defence Sites.
- <2> SWX9420 Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 3106. print.
- <3> SWX9859 Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4045. print.
- <4> SWX9866 Photograph (Print): 1947. Photograph. 4068. print.
- <5> SWX10003 Photograph (Print): 1942. Photograph. 36. print.
- <6> SWX10113 Photograph (Print): 1941. Photograph. 2025. print.
- <7> SWX10271 Photograph (Print): 2000. Photograph. 161. print.
- <8> SWX10929 Photograph (Print): 1978. Photograph. TQ6974/2. print.
- <9> SWX12323 Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 2005. North Kent Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey: Phase ll: Field Assessment Year Two Report.
- <10> SKE32029 Digital archive: Council for British Archaeology. 2002. Defence of Britain Project.
- <11> SKE14028 Verbal communication: Smith, V.T.C.. 29/01/07. Verbal Communication.
Finds (0)
Protected Status/Designation
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (3)
- Non-Intrusive Event: Defence of Britain (EKE8520)
- Non-Intrusive Event: English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project NMP (EKE20812)
- Non-Intrusive Event: Survey, North Kent Coastal Zone: Phase ll, Year Two (Ref: 56751) (EWX8626)
Record last edited
Apr 17 2026 10:56AM