First World War Pillbox, Bacton Wood

MATERIALS: concrete block walls with concrete roof slab on steel beams and steel door and gun loop shutters.  

PLAN: semi-circular with rounded corners and a single entrance to a single internal space.  

DESCRIPTION: the pillbox is situated on the south side of Mill Road beside a bridge over the tailrace to Bacton Wood mill which forms a channel bypassing the main course of the North Walsham and Dilham Canal on its eastern side. The pillbox is semi-circular, sunk partly below ground level on the roadside with the straight side facing away from the road. The concrete block walls are roughly pointed and topped by blocks with curved outer faces set around the roof slab. The roof slab is a single piece of cast concrete with a hole in the centre containing the remains of a ventilation pipe fitting.  

There are seven gun loops, three are grouped together on the roadside facing north east to cover the road to the east, two are to the rear side (south east) and two flank the low entrance door at the southern corner. The gun loops are formed from single cast concrete blocks with splayed openings or simple concrete lintels (rear corner) as is the single doorway. The doorway contains an original steel door with a hasp and bolt attached to the outside.