Second World War two-storey pillbox, South of Havengore Bridge (EHER 10014)

A very large, two-storey, concrete pillbox standing on Ministry of Defence property in the middle of scrub land to the south of the channel between the mainland and Havengore Island. It is probably unique in its design owing to the fact that two-storey pillboxes of any design are a rare occurrence. It has shell damage to the west wall and Turnbull mountings which were intact in 1993.

1993. World War Two Defences on the Essex Coast pilot survey. A very large, two-storey, concrete pillbox standing on MOD (Ministry of Defence) property in the middle of scrub land to the south of the channel between the mainland and Havengore Island. It is an impressive 23' x 21' x approximately 25' high, rectangular, with a low doorway which is sealed with a heavy concrete door. There are five machine-gun apertures at varying heights around the building and each still has its steel Turnbull mounting intact. There is a lot of damage to the west wall as it has been used as a target for heavy artillery - there are two very large holes each perhaps 2' in diameter. Oddly, there are no floors inside. Five photos. <1> SITE VISIT DECEMBER 2003: December 2003. World War Two Defences in Rochford survey: site visit and desktop research. The pillbox appears to survive very much as it did ten years ago. However, the area is now more overgrown; it is difficult to get to the structure and it proved impossible to view the west wall or to gain access to the interior. At the time of compiling this report over 1,800 WWII sites have been surveyed in Essex. Two-storey pillboxes have been found to be extraordinarily rare; none of this pattern have been found. With the added interest of the shell holes in its west face and its Turnbull machine-gun mountings, this pillbox is possibly unique and every effort should be made to ensure its continued survival, ultimately to Scheduled Monument status. <2> NRHE data transfer: 1995-2002. Defence of Britain survey. Pillbox, no specification, S of Havengore Island. LOCATION: Havengore Island, Great Wakering. <3> <4> NRHE summary description: Site of a Second World War pillbox, now probably destroyed, that was located south of Havengore Island. Note: The pillbox is still extant and can be seen in Google Earth aerial imagery from 2025. <5> Another two-storey pillbox, but of hexagonal design, is recorded to the north at Burnham-on-Crouch, see EHER 10004.