EIGHT First World War pillboxes in Norfolk have also been Grade II-listed. The concrete fortifications, built along the River Ant and North Walsham and Dilham Canal between 1916 and 1918, formed part of Britain’s defence system against a potential German seaborne invasion on the vulnerable east coast.
Each pillbox exhibits the innovative concrete block construction method used to create Britain’s systematic coastal defence network during the war. They still have their original steel doors, gun loop shutters and white-painted interiors that helped soldiers operate in confined spaces.
Two of the structures located at Bradfield Common defended the crossing point where Common Road meets Bradfield Beck. At Bacton Wood, a rare semi-circular pillbox guarded the canal bridge carrying Anchor Road. At White Horse Common, two circular pillboxes flanked the former Ebridge Mill crossing on Happisburgh Road.
A circular pillbox protected the east side of Wayford Road, to the north of North Walsham and Dilham, and two more were positioned either side of the road to the west of the bridge at Royston, which carries Bacton Road over the canal.
Tony Calladine, east of England regional director at Historic England, said: “The listing of these pillboxes recognises their historic significance and exceptional durability. These ingenious structures, often hidden in plain sight, are a reminder of a time when determined communities prepared to defend Britain during the Great War, using the pillboxes and waterways to provide a barrier to invading enemy troops.
“They now form part of the historic Norfolk landscape and tell an important story of local and national significance.”
