Building record TR 06 SW 323 - Second World War pillbox, northeast of Warm House, Graveney Marshes

A Type 24 Second World War pillbox to the northeast of Warm House on Graveney Marshes.

Historic building recording was carried out at the site in 2022 in association with a programme of archaeological works associated with the development of Cleve Hill Solar Park. The report on the building recording stated that the pillbox is a “Type 24 design (official designation: FW3/24)… comprising an irregular hexagonal structure constructed from brick with a concrete roof. It is slightly larger than the typical size of a Type 24 and could support light machine guns. It contains a standard-size doorway and an internal inverted Y-shaped blast wall. The structure appears to have been constructed to defend the Graveney Marshes in the event of a successful landing by enemy forces on the north Kent coast, possibly as part of a secondary fallback line from the coastal defences. Considering its age, the pillbox was in moderate condition, with some damage evident to the roof, east, north and south facing elevations as a result of vegetation growth and weather penetration over the years. Ivy growth currently obscures much of the exterior” (from the original report, 1).

<1> Wessex Archaeology Ltd, 2022, Type 24 Pillbox At Cleve Hill Graveney, Kent Historic Building Record (Unpublished document). SKE56586.