Two First World War pillboxes to the north and south of Bacton Road, Little London

Summary

Two rare First World War pillboxes of concrete block construction, part of a group that formed a "stop line" against potential enemy invaders along the River Ant and Dilham and North Walsham canal. They were constructed between 1916 and 1918.

Reasons for Designation

The pillboxes to the north and south of Bacton Road, Little Landon are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as well-preserved examples of First World War pillboxes with additional interest for their unusual block-concrete construction;

* they contain original gun loop shutters and doors that illustrate the functioning of the buildings.

Historic interest:

* they are both well-preserved examples of First World War pillboxes with intact layouts.

Group value:

* they are part of an important group of First World War pillboxes of the same design and construction which formed a stop line at bridging points on the River Ant/Dilham and North Walsham Canal which have a strong functional relationship with each other.

History

Despite the emerging deadlock between German and allied forces in Belgium and northern France British military planners planned to counter the threat of a possible seaborne attack on the UK mainland and in 1916 it was estimated that a landing might be made with as a many as 160,000 troops on the vulnerable east coast. To counter the threat of a German landing on the beaches of north Norfolk coastal defences were constructed from 1916, some of the first to be built in the country and backed up by a series of defended points inland of the coastal towns and a stop line along the River Ant and the section which formed the North Walsham and Dilham Canal. This utilised the northern part of the river/canal to defend the area between Barton Broad at the northern edge of the Norfolk Broads and Bradfield, the closest point on the river to the defences along the coast to the south of Cromer. A series of pillboxes were constructed at eight bridging points on the river/canal from 1916 with work to the north Norfolk defences continuing until 1918. The bridge at Royston carries Bacton Road over the canal. A pair of pillboxes are positioned either side of the road to the west of the bridge and were shown on a military map of 1918.

Details

Two pillboxes constructed between 1916 and 1918.  

MATERIALS: concrete block walls with concrete roof slab on steel beams and steel door and gun loop shutters.  

PLAN: circular with one entrance to a single internal space.  

INTERIOR: the northern pillbox is a single open-plan space with un-rendered blockwork walls and roof painted white. The gun loops all have steel frames with hooks above the central section for removable shutters. There are two holes in the roof which might have held ventilation pipes. The southern pillbox is the same inside with gun loop frames also in place. 

EXTERIOR: the pillbox to the north of Bacton Road is situated close to the road and is now in the grounds of Royston House. The pillbox is circular and sunk slightly below ground level. The concrete block walls are roughly pointed and topped by blocks with curved outer faces set around the roof slab. The roof slab is a single piece of cast concrete. There are five gun loops set around the pillbox, three facing north-east, one to the north-west and one to the south-east. A low, narrow doorway facing south-west does not have any doors.  

The pillbox to the south of Bacton Road is of the same design, construction and size. It is situated immediately beside a bend in the road to the east of the northern pillbox. The five gun loops are set around the pillbox with one each facing north and south, two towards the east and one to the west beside the doorway which retains its original steel double doors with a bolt and hasp attached to the outside.

Sources

Books and journals
Bird, C, Silent Sentinels: The Story of Norfolk's Fixed Defences in the Twentieth Century (1999),
Kent, P, Fortifications of East Anglia (1988), 185-187
Storey, N R, Norfolk Goes to War (2014), 46

Websites
Great War Britain Norfolk 1914-18 blog: Norfolk roundhouses of the great war , accessed 25 August 2022 from https://stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/norfolk-roundhouses-of-the-great-war/
Norfolk Heritage Explorer, accessed 25 August 2022 from https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF28843-World-War-One-pillbox&Index=2&RecordCount=1&SessionID=2dfdaa76-a0d1-46a7-aa4f-582aeae21f2a
Defences of Britain , accessed 26 August 2022 from https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/ai_r.cfm

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