Earthwork record MAB45325 - COWIE LINE

Remains of a World War II anti-tank barrier, part of a long defence along the Cowie Water which uses the natural height of the river bank as part of the defensive scheme.

Remains of a World War II anti-tank barrier, part of a long defence along the Cowie Water which uses the natural height of the river bank as part of the defensive scheme. The artificial barrier resumes at Toddie Brae. Its western end is partially damaged by a turning circle of a forestry track. This western end is doubled, with two vertical faces divided by a berm. This turns into a well-preserved section of bank, vertical to the river, with the quarries for the spoil still visible, for about 180m, where it stops at a large pile of stones. Along the bank are reused picket posts of the type seen elsewhere on the barrier. To the east of the pile of stones are two further possible sections. A timber roofed trench to the west of the gorge is a possibly defence related feature. To the north of the river, on vertical aerial photographs taken by the RAF in 1946, are a bank and ditch similar to the anti-tank barrier. There was no trace of this when surveyed in 2004-5.

BARCLAY, G J, 2005, THE COWIE LINE (PSAS 135: P119-61), 142-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2285.

THE COWIE LINE

Record last edited

Feb 19 2026 1:34PM