T H E D E R E L I C T M I S C E L L A N Y
GHQ Stop Line Sector Blue - Box Hill
Here are a few pillboxes on the slopes of Box Hill spotted in April 2006. Originally they formed part of the GHQ Stop Line (Berkshire/Hampshire/Surrey/Kent) which ran West-East on this particular section. Defences were quite heavy here because of the need to protect nearby Dorking and the Mole Gap, which would otherwise have made an easy invasion pathway.
Type 22 Pillbox, Duke's Copse
This is a fairly standard type 22 at Dukes copse on the junction of White Road with the Pilgrims' Way, (TQ 1750 5150) It is overgrown and has suffered from damp, but is structurally intact.
Type 22 Pillbox, Pilgrims' Way N.W. of Brockham
Another type 22, this box has been partially demolished - the central pillar has been removed and the front embrasure has been damaged. (TQ 190 508).
Type 28 AT Emplacement, S.W of the Stepping Stones
A large type 28 Anti-Tank gun emplacement set into the slope of Box Hill. At the back of the pillbox the brick wall extends on either side to support a thick layer of concrete to sheild it from landslips. A large embrasure and mounting block at the front of the emplacement would have accommodated a 6 pdr. AT gun, although one was never installed. (TQ 1740 5114).
Defence Work
These concrete tubes are set into the banks of the River Mole near Boxland House. Their inteneded purpose is not known for certain, but it is believed that they may have been anti-tank obtacles, and were associated with the Dorking Gap anti-tank ditch which joins the river at this point. (TQ 1742 5109)
REFERENCES
CBA Defence of Britain Project