CHESWICK BEACH DEFENCES

NORTHUMBERLAND

by

PAUL THOMPSON

NGR: NU051465

These two photographs are of a pillbox at Cheswick Beach, Northumberland.

What makes it so unusual is that it has an RAF Bombing Range Obsevation Tower built on top of it.

This was originally covered in an article in Loopholes 12. I think it was called pillboxes of north Northumberland by Tony Sainsbury.

The DOB Grid Ref was slightly wrong as the County Council give it as NU 051 465 which I think is correct rather than NU 052 464.

In the same area are located a crashed Spitfire and Typhoon, only visible at low tide. There is a double line of Tank Blocks about 150 metres to the west.

The site directly around this pillbox is used by the RAF Bomb Disposal Team looking for and destroying war time bombs that didn't go off. However the access is great with the area also designated an AONB and SSSI, giving marvellous views south to Holy Island.

Copyright Graham G Matthews@PSG2007