Fobbing QF Bomb Decoy
After setting off from the explosives site at Coryton, we headed on a trek across the marshes towards the town of Fobbing. We were searching …
WW2 Stretcher Fences
In the years leading up to the Second World War the Government ordered the production of hundreds of thousands stretchers. They were built using two …
Tilbury Pillbox
Situated around a mile west from Coalhouse Fort, this Lozenge pillbox has been the victim of coastal erosion. Once sitting on the Essex marshes it …
Wickford Pillboxes
Comprised of former farmland, Wick Country Park in Wickford spans 50 acres with over 2km of walking trails. Dotted amongst the site are three pillboxes …
Wakering Old School Air-Raid Shelters
Great Wakering Old School was built in 1876. It is now a community centre and pre-school. In both the fore and rear courts of the …
Southend Seafront WW2 Defences
Disguised Observation Post We started at a disguised defensive post, which when we visited in 2012 was next to the derelict Esplanade House. When we revisited in …
Dover Castle & Secret Wartime Tunnels
Situated above the White Cliffs of Dover, this iconic castle has guarded our shores from invasion for 20 centuries and is the largest castle in England. …
Hadleigh HAA Battery
TN9 Hadleigh at Sandpit Hill was one of several heavy anti-aircraft batteries in the area – such as TN7 Furtherwick and TN8 Northwick on Canvey, and also …
A Guide to Second World War Defences
Do you know your Tett Turret from your Dragons Teeth? We’ve covered over 180 historic locations (and counting!) on the website, most of which are …
Bowers Gifford Pillboxes
First visited in the summer of 2012, Bowers Gifford is home to five surviving pillboxes which would have formed part of the GHQ defence line. …
RAF Hornchurch
What is RAF Hornchurch? Hornchurch Country Park covers almost 105 hectares on the former site or RAF Hornchurch. Used today by dog walkers, fishermen and …
Wat Tyler WW2 Defences
As you should know if you’re either a budding historian or keen BTP reader, Watt Tyler country park is situated on the GHQ line – …
Paglesham Pillboxes
Paglesham is a vast expanse of mostly rural land surrounded by earthen seawalls of the common pre-North Sea Flood style witnessed across the Essex coastline. …
Grain Beach Anti-Tank Defences
The Isle of Grain is scattered with historic remains and it’s prime location means that it would be essential for protecting the capital from invasion. …
Fambridge Concrete Barge
In the marshy area adjacent to North Fambridge marina lies a ferro-concrete barge partially submerged in a field. Once stranded in the marshland, this barge …
Bowaters Farm HAA Battery
TN13, or Bowaters Farm Anti-Aircraft Battery, was built at the outbreak of the Second World War. Whilst many HAA sites have been demolished, we were …
Chelmsford Spigot Mortar Pit
The Spigot Mortar, or a Bombard as it’s also know. They were developed in the 1930’s although it wasn’t until the Second World War that …
Chelmsford Anti-Tank Pimples
These anti-tank defences have been in the same spot since the Second World War. Turn back the clock and these dragons teeth acted as a …
Chelmsford Infantry Firing Position
Hidden away just off of the A12, you wouldn’t have a clue that this was here unless someone told you! Just down the bank from …
Chadwell Heath HAA Battery
During the early Second World War, Germany bombed British towns, cities, and industries using aircraft. This initially took place in daylight leading up to the …
River Wey Dragon’s Teeth
The Dragon’s Teeth along the River Wey in Guildford are just one of many examples of surviving Second World War tank defences in the town. …
D-Day Embarkation Hards
The D-Day allied invasion of France, 1944, was an enormous logistical project which saw Essex overrun by military preparations to send off thousands of allied …
Wakering Camp
Wakering Camp was constructed potentially around June 1944 as a ‘Diver’ battery – a late-war heavy anti-aircraft 3.7-inch gun battery of at least eight guns, …
Hankley Common D-Day Training Wall
In preparation for Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy, Canadian troops build a replica section of the Atlantic Wall. In 1940 Germany …