Culham - Red Stop Line

Culham - Red Stop Line Deciding to chance my luck with the weather, i took the gamble and went back out and headed towards the area of Shillingford and Culham. I deliberately missed out the swathe of pillboxes in the area of Clifton Hampden, Little Wittenham, just south of Dorchester with the intention of taking in this area on my next visit. All in all the weather held off until the end of the day when the intermittent drizzle settled into a steady downpour. By then my boots were covered in cloying mud, the lower half of my legs wet through and it was time to make my way home. I finally caught a gun emplacement which meant wading through head height nettles but it was a relief when i got to it. For a change not too many fails today on those i intended to get to so a happy man drove back home. Taking the route of the A329 out of Mouslford i parked up and attempted to take in 4 locations. I got to two and despite my best efforts i could not get to the gun emplacement located between the Thames and the location below. The AT blocks further up the rail line and located on a farm track seem to have vanished. Shame. ANTI TANK BLOCK: S0012058 Waterloo Bridge. I counted three in total. Heading down the path on the right hand side, and running adjacent to the rail track towards the farm track and bridge, there should have had the blocks and cylinders. I saw this cylinder. Possibly a remnant of what existed but i am not too sure.  All the other Blocks have long since been removed.  Bugger. Attempting to locate the gun emplacement located in the copse of trees running along the rail embankment i decided to take in the type 22 which is located to the side of Moulsford Railway Bridge. On the opposite bank is another 22 which i shall take in when i research the opposite bank. I failed to get to the gun emplacement due to the heavy undergrowth and horses in the field i would have needed to enter. As it was overlooked by housing i will need to refine my approach to get to it. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0012059 This is located in heavy undergrowth, fairly close to the public track and sat on the south eastern end of the rail bridge.  I had attempted to visit this pillbox on a previous visit but simply couldn't find a way to get to it.  The alternative route to the pillbox was via the rail embankment. Due to its relative inaccessibility the pillbox is chav free, relatively debris free inside, but dank and a mossie magnet.  Thankfully i am immune to the little buggers. Slightly disappointed but also needing to push onto my main objectives of the day i then drove up to Shillingford and parked up and walked back to Shillingford bridge to get to the AT block and hopefully the gun emplacement there. I was determined to have some success and it finally paid off. Getting to the gun emplacement was a beast of a job which as i mentioned meant crossing boggy ground. The foliage was a heavy mix of thistles, nettles at head height and the suspicious look of plants that usually surround boggy marsh. I was expecting to walk into a hidden stream or pond as it was impossible to determine what i was walking into. ANTI TANK BLOCK: S0012037 Shillingford Bridge. Evidence that the roadblock extended across the bridge approach.  Retrospectively cut back and filled. GUN EMPLACEMENT: S0012038 Located on the opposite bank and in a copse of trees. Scaling over the fence proved interesting with me finding a fallen tree to use buy still slipping and falling as i got over the fence!  The approach was head height ferns, marsh ground and a meandering approach to finally get over to the emplacement. Its amazing the resistance i have built up to nettles.  Even so i have learnt to take a pair of secateurs with me for cutting back ivy and brambles.  The brambles i detest with a passion. Ammo storage lockers.  The fixtures and fittings have long since been removed or degenerated. Within the same are of Shillingford Bridge is a Type 22 which i decided to miss out of and so i continued up to Culham. Parking up near Old Culham Bridge i then took in the pillboxes in the area. The drizzle has gone for now so it was quite a pleasant walk around the field between Culham Lock and the Thames. Firstly i went to Culham bridge. The site of two type 28's which have been removed. The bases are still evident. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28A): S0012023 Note the base locking sockets for the gun mounts. (patch of overgrown grass). Evidence of where the inner wall would have stood which affords protection to the infantry inside the 28. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28): S0012022 View of the area where the base of the second 28 wound have been.  If still in situ i would be been looking through the gun embrasure.  This would have afforded a field of fire over the eastern approaches to the bridge along the track and the fields to the south-east. Heading into Culham itself i parked up to investigate the type 22 which was on the left hand side just before the turning in the road. Fairly easy to get to as there was an easy cutting through the hedge. The pillbox is heavily covered in ivy and a proven dumping ground for rubbish. It is in there somewhere. Lovely scenes internally. I do love a Parish Church. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0012025 Taking the walk along the north path of Culham Lock and then crossing the bridge further to the west and heading down towards the Thames. Located in the same section of field and further east towards Sutton Courtenay bridge, the 28 would have had a covering field of fire of the bridge. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28A): S0007166 Interesting is the lipped entrance and no evidence of a ramp. Corrugated shuttering. Note the lack of a ramp approach to get the artiliary piece into position.   Part of the shuttering still in place. A fairly rough build. The defended area. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28A): S0009811 Set up on the ridge overlooking the Thames and used as an extension of the ROC post which is located next to it. The pillbox was originally closed off externally in internally as a result. Information states this was originally a live site in 1968. There is a viewing platform on the roof of the pillbox which i understand was used to spot planes. I did sneak into the ROC post and take some photos but will leave them out of this report. Not the best of experiences being down that i shall tell you!! I eventually located the pillbox after almost thinking i wouldn't find it and it was heavily hidden in the tree line. The entrance to the ROC post. Heading back towards Clifton Hampden and parking up at Culham Rail station i walked over the road to Zouch Farm. Sat behind the farm and a southern facing gun embrasure. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28A): S0012026 No internals were taken of this due to the proximity of the house and the personal property stored inside. Finally the last two pillboxes of the day. Both sat east of the rail line with the type 22 sat on the opposite side of the field and the 28 located at the bottom of the embankment and covering what would be a western approach along the Thames. By now the drizzle was steady but tolerable. As i finished up photographing the 28, the rain well and truly set in and i called it a day. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0012027 East of Appleford Railway Bridge. PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/28A): S0007177 _________________ Nettles, bloody nettles, cow muck and thorns.