Should be demolishing pillboxes?

[toxicpixie]

UK people, what do you think? Well, anyone, really not just UK

Granted pill boxes are not often a beautiful example of architecture but they are an interesting & important piece of history and building example...

Would you feel the same if it was a fortified Tudor manor or Norman castle?

https://planningon-line.rushcliffe.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=OWX9WTNLL5S00

[FierceKitty]

As you say, they're not really beautiful, which is the only real reason to preserve a useless building.

[DanJ]

At the risk of being outrageous, I'd get rid of it.

There are thousands of these things scattered all over the country, loosing a few or even a lot wouldn't matter to our heritage, almost nobody visits them on purpose, nobody looks after them and mostly they have become derelict urinals and rubbish dumps.

Sometimes the UK seems to be turning into one huge museum with the whole country living on its history.  So, map where they all are for historic reference and keep a few pill boxes which are in important/strategic sites and get rid of the ones that are in the way of progress.

And how do we decide which ones should be kept, they're the ones not in the way of modern development.

[toxicpixie]

Sometimes the UK seems to be turning into one huge museum with the whole country living on its history.

That about sums us up in general, never mind the pill box

Thing is, this is a pretty unique pillbox and defence set up - it's got a two storey bit and isn't (I think) replicated elsewhere...

It's not beautiful and the developer has knocked down as much as possible (seemingly in the hope the rest will fall down, fait accompli), but if we just kept beautiful things to hand we'd have to knock down most of the country and/or forum members And who decides... taste is very subjective. I loved the Birmingham Central Library, and was really sorry to see it go, for instance. And if you let developers get away with just smashing things up till they fall down what's next? We already have a very suspicious amount of "whoops it accidentally set on fire/someone drove a digger in/I hung a picture nail and the whole thing fell down, guv'nor!" moments on listed or otherwise in use/difficult to develop sites as is.

I dunno, discuss

[FierceKitty]

My instincts are for preservation, in fact. But not without discrimination.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

A great many ate actually listed buildings...

[Westmarcher]

[*ate* ?]

I'm a member of Friends of Historic Scotland so (surprise, surprise) I'm generally in favour of preserving and maintaining our architectural heritage (plus it is also very beneficial for the tourist industry). However, if it is really ugly (e.g., the dirty grey concrete monstrosities of the 1960's), I have to confess, I too can struggle!   Maybe a fancy makeover with some nice curtains .....?   

[Techno]

A great many ate actually listed buildings...

ATE ?......Did they use any salt and pepper ?

My poor old teeth wouldn't be able to crunch down on concrete/bricks/whatever.
I love predictive texting !!! 

Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Are not ate!

[Leon]

Is this it?  If so, it's not the clearest example of a pillbox I've ever seen...!



We've got a few in our area, one of them is currently working it's way into the sea on Redcar beach.

[toxicpixie]

The plans show where they are, and I think that's part of one that was sort of in the corner of a now demolished hanger (which it appears they shouldn't have knocked down, hey ho, whoops, sorry, don't know how that happened m'lud!). I'm not local so I dunno exactly

That one sliding under the beach is actually for protecting us from the Deep Ones, so it's fine. Move along, nothing to sea here!

[d_Guy]

I like the picture with the dog - it appears to be a transformer slowly rising from the sand to gobble up the poor oblivious creature.

[Leon]

I didn't see the plan...    There looks to be over a dozen of them on the site, but I can't make out exactly how the plan matches the Google earth image.












I've always liked them so I'd keep them personally.  It's a shame they can't be renovated a little and protected in some way but they're so accessible that the kids wreck them.  We've got a nice one up near us on a former Starfish site:

[Leman]

We have a starfish one near Formby Point, which the youthful wannabe Banksies have decorated with their usual dystopian Bolinbrokes - a blood streaming skull on some sort of monstrosity. There is another one further inland covering a bridge over the River Alt. This apparently was turned into quite a comfy little refuge by a homeless man, until of course he was ejected so that it could go back to serving no useful purpose.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

There are 3 close to me - one has virtually disappeared into the undergrowth, the other 2 are on the road bridge on the A41 close to Levers factory. Both those have been bricked up. They don't take up much space and would be hard to remove, so why bother.?

IanS

[petercooman]

. They don't take up much space and would be hard to remove, so why bother.?

IanS

It's in the nature of man not to build next to something, or in front or behind something. We want it right there where something else is standing no matter the price or effort 

I say let them stay. I never took it for a problem around here. And i think animals (and less lucky people) enjoy the shelter they provide.

[Heedless Horseman]

I have always hated the gradual loss of WW2 pill boxes and tank traps from the Northumberland countryside. They might not be glamorous, but they are just as much part of our history as Hadrian's Wall...and a reminder of how 'local' WW2 could have become. If 'developers' or councils realy must hide them, bury them...but leave them in place for the future.

[Poggle]

One pillbox overlooking the beach at the bottom of our road was removed when the sea wall was rebuilt. Two mortar spigots were taken out too. Apart from that, two other local pillboxes were lost to coastal erosion. One still emerges at low tide. Sad to see it happening.

[DanJ]

Depends where they are, next to a bridge or some other strategic point that ain't going anywhere, leave them.  In the middle of a field not doing any harm, leave them.  In the way of progress, get rid; yes I know that's outrageous and people will start asking "who decides" and "where do you draw the line", but I really don't want to live in a country that's only looking back at its "heritage" not to it's future.

I also rather like finding the ones on the beaches slowly decaying in the salt water or sinking into the sand or shingle.  It sort of reminds me that time is moving on, WW2 is getting further away, it's not the defining point for the current generation of kids that it was for me.  Teach the history, show the artifacts and architecture, but stop living in the past, most of it was bloody awful.