Building record MAB23721 - BALGOWNIE BEACH SOUTH

Pillbox dating from World War II.

Pillbox dating from World War II. This World War Two pillbox is the second of the five pillboxes which survive on Balgownie Beach, north of the River Don. This pillbox is still partially visible, although half submerged in sand. This pillbox is an irregular hexagon, with the rear wall longer than the others. The rear entrance of similar examples on the beach have no loop holes either side of the entrance. Due to the sand filling it is impossible to verify that in this case. Many other pillboxes of this type recorded in Britain do have loop holes in the rear wall. Their absence here may represent a local variation in design. The external walls have the imprints of the wooden planks used during construction. Construction of the pillbox involved pouring concrete into wooden shuttering. A network of anti tank blocks lie north of this pillbox, linking the beach's other pillboxes (NJ91SE0019). The anti tank blocks were intended to slow the progress of enemy tanks. Site visit in November 2022 as part of the SCAPE Coastal Zone Assessment Survey recorded that the pillbox has broken open and is in the surf zone at mid tide.

SCAPE, 2023, COASTAL ZONE ASSESSMENT SURVEY ABERDEENSHIRE AND CITY OF ABERDEEN: CULLEN TO MILTON NESS, ID 15044 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4866.

Record last edited

Jan 4 2024 4:13PM