First World War Pillboxes in Norfolk Listed
8 First World War pillboxes in Norfolk have been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England.
These concrete fortifications, built along the River Ant and North Walsham and Dilham Canal between 1916 and 1918, formed part of Britain’s defence system against a potential German seaborne invasion on the vulnerable east coast.
Each pillbox exhibits the innovative concrete block construction method used to create Britain’s systematic coastal defence network in the First World War. The pillboxes still have their original steel doors, gun loop shutters and white-painted interiors that helped soldiers operate in confined spaces.
Located at Bradfield Common, 2 pillboxes defended the crossing point where Common Road meets Bradfield Beck. At Bacton Wood, a rare semi-circular pillbox guarded the canal bridge carrying Anchor Road. At White Horse Common, 2 circular pillboxes flanked the former Ebridge Mill crossing on Happisburgh Road. A circular pillbox protected the east side of Wayford Road, to the north of North Walsham and Dilham, and 2 pillboxes were positioned either side of the road to the west of the bridge at Royston which carries Bacton Road over the canal.
The listing of these First World War pillboxes recognises their historic significance and exceptional durability. These ingenious structures, often hidden in plain sight, are a reminder of a time when determined communities prepared to defend Britain during the Great War, using the pillboxes and waterways to provide a barrier to invading enemy troops. They now form part of the historic Norfolk landscape and tell an important story of local and national significance.
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