Pillbox at Bromholm Priory

World War II Type 22 pillbox.

MATERIALS: brick and concrete faced with flint and dressings of handmade red brick.

PLAN: the pillbox is located on the south-west corner of Abbey Farm garden, and it abuts the garden wall. It has a hexagonal plan.

EXTERIOR: the single-storey pillbox has a flat concrete roof and concrete lintels. The C20 brick walls are faced in flint rubble and have quoins of handmade red brick. Each face has a gun embrasure. It appears that the original design had a pitched roof in order to give the appearance of being a garden building or summerhouse but the flint rubble is crumbling away. There is a two-pointed relieving arch in handmade red brick over the entrance and, on the opposite face, the remains of another arch over the gun embrasure which gave the appearance of being a window surround.

INTERIOR: there is a thick concrete blast wall in a central position within the pillbox. Beneath each of the gun embrasures, there are supports for a shelf or ledge to rest on whilst firing a rifle or light machine gun.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: on the west side of the pillbox is the base of a spigot mortar* which has been displaced as it would normally be in a pit and surrounded by ammunition lockers.

• Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the spigot mortar is not of special architectural or historic interest and is not included in the Listing. It is protected by virtue of being included in the scheduling of the priory.