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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 75 NW 132
Type of record:Monument
Name:Second World War pillbox in Archer's field, Maidstone

Summary

Hexagonal brick and concrete pillbox with field of fire across the Medway. Part of the defences of the town from attack from the north.


Grid Reference:TQ 7493 5804
Map Sheet:TQ75NW
Parish:MAIDSTONE, MAIDSTONE, KENT

Monument Types

  • PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/24) (PILLBOX, Modern - 1940 AD to 1944 AD)

Full description

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Hexagonal brick and concrete WW2 pillbox, roof remains intact and inside is still accessible. (1)

From the Defence of Britain survey:

Type of site PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/24)
Location Archer's Field, Allington.
Area Maidstone, Kent, England
Grid reference TQ 74934 58048 (Scale: 1:2500 , 1969)
Period WW2
Condition Fair
Materials Clay Brick, Reinforced Concrete
Recorder (Defence of Britain Project)
Defence grouping GHQ Line (North West Kent) - GHQ Line running from Leigh to River Thames via Medway valley.
DOB site reference: S0012612
Associated Identifier Kent SMR (ref: KE17161: TQ 75 NW 132)
Event Construction, In the period 1940 1941

(2)

Part of the Medway GHQ Stop Line with a field of fire focused on 23 degrees north-east. Concrete construction, with brick outer facing/shuttering. Entrance open, but some embrasures blocked. Internal blast wall removed to facilitate use for storage. The surveyor recommended the pillbox for statutory protection on the basis of the good overall condition and the clearly visible original context (3)


<1> CBA Defence of Britain Project, 1994, Defence of Britain Site Report (Bibliographic reference). SKE6447.

<2> Untitled Source, Arch South East field survey report 1997 (Unpublished document). SKE6451.

<2> Archaeology South-East, 1997, An Archaeological Field Survey of the Grounds of Allington Castle, Maidstone (Unpublished document). SKE16779.

<3> Kent Defence Research Group, 2024/5, Site recording form for the Maidstone 20th Century Defences Project, site 008 (Digital archive). SKE56292.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>Bibliographic reference: CBA Defence of Britain Project. 1994. Defence of Britain Site Report.
<2>Unpublished document: Archaeology South-East. 1997. An Archaeological Field Survey of the Grounds of Allington Castle, Maidstone.
<2>Unpublished document: Arch South East field survey report 1997.
<3>Digital archive: Kent Defence Research Group. 2024/5. Site recording form for the Maidstone 20th Century Defences Project. site 008.