RNAS Worthy Down Pillbox Defences (Pic Heavy)

The pillboxes shown in the following post form part of the defences that were built in 1940 to protect the Royal Naval Air Station at Worthy Down Hampshire. I am no expert on pillboxes but I believe they are predominantly Type 22’s. Some of the boxes are accessible internally others not. The accompanying map shows the location of each box on the post.

The shots were taken in August 2010.

Location Map



Pillbox No 1 located next to the former Didcot Newbury & Southampton Railway



External Wall Detail



Loophole detail - The inscription 715 RE on the lintel appears to relate to 715 General Construction Company - Royal Engineers



Pillbox No 2 - again located next to the former Didcot Newbury & Southampton Railway



Internal view of Pillbox No 2 - what is the square box structure ?



Pillbox No 3 - very overgrown - not easy to get a good shot



Internal view of loophole - Pillbox 3



Pillbox No 4 - No internal access possible on this one



View of the firing shelf hinges taken through a loophole



Pillbox No 5 - In a poor state with subsidance and internal damage



Ceiling reinforcement detail



Internal view of No 5 - Note collapsed ricochet wall



Further internal view towards the entrance to the pillbox



Exposed concrete reinforcement detail



Pillbox No 6



Internal view towards the entrance - note whitewashed walls



Pillbox No 7 - no internal access



Further external view



Internal view taken through a loophole



Pillbox No 8



Pillbox No 8 - Entrance detail



Internal loophole detail



Pillbox No 9 - this one is of brick construction



A tree grows straight through the middle of the pillbox and out through the roof



Internal view - there does not appear to have been a ricochet wall unless it has been removed - there is a shaped hole in the middle of the pillbox floor which appears to be mirrored in the ceiling



External loophole view



Detail of roof construction - a mixture of brick and concrete



This is the view and field of fire that would have been seen through one of the loopholes



External view showing how overgrown the pillbox is



Thanks for looking.

Fantastic thread Richard. It's good to see the bolts for the Turnbull mounts still in place and most of the shelves. I've never seen the box you show before but at a guess it may be to catch empty cartridges or hold magazines. The one with the tree is great, there's another like that at Biggin Hill.

Yes, I really like the tree pillbox too. I'm intrigued with the corner brick details on two of them. It looks as though they just built walls and hoped they'd interlock at the edges! LOL. Maybe they just weren't versant with bricklaying, if not for another reason.
Nice work, HA.

Superb alf. You're making me feel even more annoyed that I couldn't get out this weekend. This bit of concrete (and brick) therapy helps though.

The tree box is brilliant and a first for me. And those corner finger joints caught my eye too.You'd normally face those off for aesthetics sake which takes time, something the engineers were short of I suspect.

Thanks for these.

Yep tree did it for me as well. Would have been good if the railway was still there but there is not much left the Didcot end either. Great set you have done there my man.

Munchh said:

Superb alf. You're making me feel even more annoyed that I couldn't get out this weekend. This bit of concrete (and brick) therapy helps though.

The tree box is brilliant and a first for me. And those corner finger joints caught my eye too.You'd normally face those off for aesthetics sake which takes time, something the engineers were short of I suspect.

Thanks for these.

Click to expand...

Thanks Munchh glad that I could allay your withdrawal symptons

night crawler said:

Yep tree did it for me as well. Would have been good if the railway was still there but there is not much left the Didcot end either. Great set you have done there my man.

Click to expand...

Thanks NC. I wish the railway was still there complete with the 9F's on the Fawley oil trains. Now that would be worth seeing

Foxylady said:

Yes, I really like the tree pillbox too. I'm intrigued with the corner brick details on two of them. It looks as though they just built walls and hoped they'd interlock at the edges! LOL. Maybe they just weren't versant with bricklaying, if not for another reason.
Nice work, HA.

Click to expand...

I like to think there was an artistic streak in the RE's but I think this is a long shot

hahahah i also liked the pillbox wearing tree.

cptpies said:

Fantastic thread Richard. It's good to see the bolts for the Turnbull mounts still in place and most of the shelves. I've never seen the box you show before but at a guess it may be to catch empty cartridges or hold magazines. The one with the tree is great, there's another like that at Biggin Hill.

Click to expand...

Thanks CPT. The box structures are in place in other pillboxes in the post. There is just one per pillbox.

This does sound daft and may open me up to ridicule, but was the pillbox built around the tree - would be good natural camouflage

I have to admt I thought the tree had grown up through the ceiling hole - but is there another explanation ?

Why else is there a hole in the floor and one in the ceiling

You're quite correct, the pillbox would likely have been built around the tree for camouflage. The one at Biggin Hill certainly was.

Some great shots there mate, I like the one looking out the embrasure.
Looks like you missed the battle hq tho, tucked in the bushes to the west of pillbox '9' on your map.
It took me a long time to find it, might pop some shots up if i can find them.

DigitalNoise said:

Some great shots there mate, I like the one looking out the embrasure.
Looks like you missed the battle hq tho, tucked in the bushes to the west of pillbox '9' on your map.
It took me a long time to find it, might pop some shots up if i can find them.

Click to expand...

Thanks DN - I didn't miss the HQ - that was going to be my next post along with the rest of the boxes on the site