# Guard pillboxes for ROF Aycliffe Munitions store



## jonney (Mar 20, 2012)

A very brief history of the area (more in depth can be found here http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/aycliffeangels/)

ROF Aycliffe, (Royal Ordnance Factory, Aycliffe) was built on an 867-acre (3.51 km2) site off Heighington Lane, Aycliffe, County Durham, England during the early 1940s. The marshy location was ideal as the site was shrouded in fog and mist for much of the year providing cover against bombing by the Luftwaffe.

It opened as ROF 59 (Filling factory 8) in the Spring of 1941. It operated 24 hours a day, employing some 17,000 workers in three shift groups and was operational for just over 4 years until the end of World War II in 1945, by which point it had produced some 700 million bullets and countless other munitions. The factory was designated as a 'Top Secret' installation and surrounded by high fences with barbed wire.

The workers were mainly women and became known as the "Aycliffe Angels". During its existence, the factory produced millions of finished munitions including bullets, shells and mines.

Workers were transported from surrounding areas onto the factory site by bus and train, with the most local workers arriving on foot or by bicycle.

The factory was visited during the war years by Winston Churchill and members of the British Royal Family. Many well known entertainers of the day also performed at the factory for the workers.
[edit] Post war

After the war, the factory closed and the site was turned into the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate in the late 1940s. Many of the original buildings are still standing today although most have been changed beyond all recognition 

1945







Modern day






you can still see some of the old buildings although some have been re-faced
















Right that's enough of that on to the good stuff (well...) I saw a photo of these pillboxes recently and have been looking for them ever since as they are not on the DoB. Eventually I messaged the guy who originally photographed them and asked for their location (cheeky I know but what the hell) and he told me where they were to which I am very very grateful. I must stress that although there is a footpath so far down to the site the pillboxes are on private land and the munitions stores are now in private use and there is 24 hour security and CCTV covering them, plus there are some nasty looking guard dogs on site. I got permission from the farmer who owns the land to photograph these although I was asked not to take any of the stores. There are 4 of these non standard type pillboxes but I found 2 large piles of rubble that could easily have been another 2 plus looking at the old photos one of the blocks of 4 stores has long gone

1945






modern day (white circles mark the pillboxes)






alll these pillboxes are built the same, approx 9 foot x 9 foot and internally the roof height is about 8 foot

The first one is the guard post for the main gates
















internals (again all 4 were the same so I'll only post one set)

note the wooden gun rack in the corner
















roof detail






The main gates











Pillbox 2











original fence posts






pillbox 3






if you zoom in on this photo you can see one of the remaining banks of 4 munitions stores






pillbox 4











possible pillbox demolition rubble and main fence






well that's all from here 
thanks for looking

Cheers Jon


----------



## RichCooper (Mar 20, 2012)

Interesting report there mate,and a lot of effort and legwork


----------



## jonney (Mar 20, 2012)

RichCooper said:


> Interesting report there mate,and a lot of effort and legwork



too much leg work mate as you know lol


----------



## night crawler (Mar 20, 2012)

Great work there well done.


----------



## jonney (Mar 20, 2012)

Cheers NC once I'd seen them I couldn't help myself. I spent ages going over the maps of the area and trawling GE and thought I knew where they were so yesterday evening was spent walking miles and miles but to no avail. So when I got directions to them I couldn't help myself...school night pillbox porn was the order of the evening


----------



## oldscrote (Mar 20, 2012)

Amazing stuff Jon,never seen anything like that before are they unique?

this website seems to have a lot of info and photos about the place

http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/aycliffeangels/index.phtml


----------



## jonney (Mar 21, 2012)

oldscrote said:


> Amazing stuff Jon,never seen anything like that before are they unique?
> 
> this website seems to have a lot of info and photos about the place
> 
> http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/aycliffeangels/index.phtml




that's the website at the beginning of the report mate, I'm not sure if they are unique mate but like you I've never seen anything like them before. My grandmother on my 
Mams side was an Aycliffe Angel but sadly she passed away before I came along


----------



## oldscrote (Mar 21, 2012)

jonney said:


> that's the website at the beginning of the report mate, I'm not sure if they are unique mate but like you I've never seen anything like them before. My grandmother on my
> Mams side was an Aycliffe Angel but sadly she passed away before I came along



Oh bu#~er I really must read the blurb before going straight to the pictures.Amazing that your Granny worked there,the things people did to help the war effort never cease to amaze me.


----------



## jonney (Mar 21, 2012)

Something is bugging me about this place. I know that the munitions made here were transported via train to Salters gate munitions store and by truck to Brasside munitions store to be distributed from there and they have no defences to speak of. Why would such a small place have so many defences and why would they need a store there in the first place. I'm wondering if they were storing more unconventional munitions here or am I just being daft


----------



## night crawler (Mar 21, 2012)

jonney said:


> Cheers NC once I'd seen them I couldn't help myself. I spent ages going over the maps of the area and trawling GE and thought I knew where they were so yesterday evening was spent walking miles and miles but to no avail. So when I got directions to them I couldn't help myself...school night pillbox porn was the order of the evening



Think you need to borrow my Garmin GPS


----------



## cptpies (Mar 21, 2012)

Excellent job tracking these down Jonney. They are a standard type for ROF sites around the country, small and square with a long narrow embrasure, although they do vary from site to site a bit.


----------



## flyboys90 (Mar 21, 2012)

Cracking report, thanks for sharing.


----------



## Munchh (Mar 22, 2012)

Excellent report jon. 

The PB's don't look like they could take much more than small arms fire.

Certainly comes across as a 'what were they up to here?' sort of place. We were stockpiling quantities of 'unconventional' weapons in a response to the perceived threat of their use by the axis powers.

It would obviously be interesting to get a closer look at the stores.


----------



## jonney (Mar 22, 2012)

Munchh said:


> Excellent report jon.
> 
> The PB's don't look like they could take much more than small arms fire.
> 
> ...



There is the remains of a mustard gas store about 20miles away from here






but if this place had anything to do with that I have no idea. The PB's concrete was only about 6" thick and didn't feel too safe when inside unlike the standard types. Think they were more of a sentry position rather than anything else. Regarding the stores I've pm'd you mate


----------



## fluffy5518 (Mar 22, 2012)

Fantastic report Johnnies !! There are supposed to be a couple of similar structure just down the road here at Steventon but i cant trace them !!
Keep that concrete coming !!!


----------



## jonney (Mar 23, 2012)

fluffy5518 said:


> Fantastic report Johnnies !! There are supposed to be a couple of similar structure just down the road here at Steventon but i cant trace them !!
> Keep that concrete coming !!!



Cheers for that fluffy, don't know if you have seen this site but Steventon gets a mention http://www.squidoo.com/former-world-war-ii-airfields-in-oxfordshire 

I think I can tell you where one of your pillboxes could be... (sorry no flash earth link cos I'm on my phone and you can't get it on this iPhone) if you fire up google maps or GE and locate the hangars to the west of Steventon, there is a brownish field right next to it to the East. Go into roughly the middle of this field then head South towards the railway lines following the tractor path then in the green bit just before the fence and the lines is a square concrete structure. Hope this helps mate


----------



## cptpies (Mar 23, 2012)

There are a few of these at Norton Fitzwarren too, one now removed but the others have AA emplacements on top of them. http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=2454&highlight=norton+fitzwarren piccies are dead now unfortunately. But there are a couple of one of them here http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/ai_full_r.cfm?refno=12450&


----------



## jonney (Mar 23, 2012)

That's some nice pillboxes Cptpies bit like them type 22's at RAF Acklington. Fluffy I finally got flashearth to work and here is the link although you can see it a lot better in GE

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.621453&lon=-1.347275&z=19.3&r=0&src=msl


----------



## Munchh (Mar 23, 2012)

cptpies said:


> There are a few of these at Norton Fitzwarren too..................



Yes, I'm familiar with these but for some reason didn't connect them as the same type. I haven't been to Norton for about 12 years. Maybe I'll put in the effort and go back for a fresh report.


----------



## tigger2 (Mar 23, 2012)

jonney said:


> That's some nice pillboxes Cptpies bit like them type 22's at RAF Acklington. Fluffy I finally got flashearth to work and here is the link although you can see it a lot better in GE
> 
> http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.621453&lon=-1.347275&z=19.3&r=0&src=msl



_where's the path_ link (OS map + google aerial): http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepa...50865&lon=-1.3474184274673462&gz=20&oz=0&gt=1


----------



## the_historian (Mar 23, 2012)

Johnny,
Think there's something similar at the old RNAD Bandeath, outside Stirling. I'll try to get pics for you.
Good report btw.


----------



## jonney (Mar 23, 2012)

the_historian said:


> Johnny,
> Think there's something similar at the old RNAD Bandeath, outside Stirling. I'll try to get pics for you.
> Good report btw.



cheers Gordon it'll be nice to see some more reports from your good self


----------



## cptpies (Mar 24, 2012)

the_historian said:


> Johnny,
> Think there's something similar at the old RNAD Bandeath, outside Stirling. I'll try to get pics for you.
> Good report btw.



I've have a good scan around the ROF, CAD AND FASD sites after this report popped up and turned up a few likely candidates for some more ROF type PB's at Bishopton as well as a couple of missed type 23's and a few type 24's at other sites. I've also named the ones of this type that I know about as PILLBOX (ROF) but kept them in the PILLBOX (VARIANT) category. I suspect some have been mistyped as type 26's especially as some have regular sized embrasures rather then the narrow ones. I'd love to know about any more.


----------



## jonney (Mar 24, 2012)

I've started something now lol


----------



## cptpies (Mar 25, 2012)

jonney said:


> I've started something now lol



I think you have, the DoB seem to have overlooked this class of site almost entirely, despite having a specific site type for them!


----------



## fluffy5518 (Mar 26, 2012)

jonney said:


> Cheers for that fluffy, if you fire up google maps or GE and locate the hangars to the west of Steventon, there is a brownish field right next to it to the East. Go into roughly the middle of this field then head South towards the railway lines following the tractor path then in the green bit just before the fence and the lines is a square concrete structure. Hope this helps mate



Thanks for your help Jonney !! Unfortunately that structure is the old shunters cabin (EAST END) for the former sidings. There is an identical one to the West end !!! Hopes dashed !! However you do win the Mr Eagle eyes competition !!! First prize a visit to a pub of your choice in Oxfordshire to talk concrete structures in fields in the uk with a like minded pillbox nut !!!


----------



## jonney (Mar 26, 2012)

fluffy5518 said:


> Thanks for your help Jonney !! Unfortunately that structure is the old shunters cabin (EAST END) for the former sidings. There is an identical one to the West end !!! Hopes dashed !! However you do win the Mr Eagle eyes competition !!! First prize a visit to a pub of your choice in Oxfordshire to talk concrete structures in fields in the uk with a like minded pillbox nut !!!



yeah get in another prize am getting good at this lol sorry it wasn't the right kind of concrete mate it was just the right size and shape but I'll keep looking. I will collect my prize one day matey can't miss out on a pub visit


----------



## RichCooper (Mar 26, 2012)

can anyone join in in ? mines a guinness


----------



## jonney (Mar 26, 2012)

RichCooper said:


> can anyone join in in ? mines a guinness



You have to win something first mate but if your buying lol


----------



## RichCooper (Mar 26, 2012)

jonney said:


> You have to win something first mate but if your buying lol



reclon I could just about stand a round or two


----------



## jonney (Mar 26, 2012)

RichCooper said:


> reclon I could just about stand a round or two



go on then mate you've twisted my arm lol


----------



## AndyC (Mar 26, 2012)

There is something very similar not far off the Taunton Stop Line near Bridgwater.

Just checked my photos and they are a bit rubbish. Fortunately there is a picture on the DoB that is somewhat better:

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/ai_full_r.cfm?refno=6969


----------



## cptpies (Mar 27, 2012)

Good spot Andy, that's definitely an ROF type, it even states the land is owned by the RO in the details.


----------

