WW2 Coastal Defences, Seaton, Devon

 

All coastal towns during the second world war had defences put in place in the event of an invasion. As well as the Coastal Battery at Axmouth Harbour, which was at the start of an inland line of defensive emplacements called the Taunton Stop Line, other defence remains can be seen in Seaton along the seafront. This area was an important position because German aircraft used the Axe Valley as a flight path from France up to Bristol and the West Midlands. The Taunton Stop Line was particularly important because of the munitions base situated near Taunton, which had to be defended from land invasion as well as from the air.
 

A hexagonal plinth upon concrete hard standing (above) marks the place on the western cliffs where an emergency Royal Artillery Coastal Battery stood. It was camouflaged beneath a wooden construction to look like a house. Interestingly, the only bombing of Seaton occurred was of Jubilee House (now Jubilee Gardens) when a German bomber jettisoned unused shells prior to the flight back across the channel.

 

Further eastwards along the path I found what looks like the opening to an underground bunker. It may have been a shelter, but I think (and please don't quote me on this) that it may have been an underground armament store. My reasoning is because of its situation; near enough to supply the battery, but far enough to be out of the line of fire. It is also similar to other WW2 MOD constructions, and thin lead lining can just about be seen between the brickwork and concrete.
 

On the road east to the clifftop is this variant pillbox. Hardly recognisable, unless you know that it's there, it has since been converted into the end part of a roofed parking area for Cliff Castle House behind.
 

The embrasures have been infilled with the same kind of building material of flint and chert, but can just about be made out beneath the concrete lintels in the photos below.
 

 

Below the pillbox, and built into the cliff under the road, is a Coastal Artillery Search Light Emplacement. This would have housed a very powerful lamp to sweep the sea and beach for enemy craft in the event of a land invasion by sea.

 
The photos were taken at various different times. The emplacement was once open and accessible - hence the graffiti - but a metal grille door has now been added after the building was given a fresh coat of paint. Sadly, there's still the odd thoughtless person clambering in to make their mark.
 

 

It isn't until getting inside that you realise what an amazing view can be seen of the sea and coastal area.
 

At one time, many years ago, there were removable shutters to the front opening. A visitor to my erstwhile website kindly told me that it was used by Seaton beach lifeguards in the 1970s, which I vaguely remember, and which was a very appropriate use for such a fantastic view.

These remains (below) can be seen at low tide during the spring tides. I haven't been able to ascertain for certain whether they were parts of the WW2 beach defences or just old remains of eroded steps. However, on beaches during the war scaffolding pipes were fixed into concrete bases, the crosspieces of which were filled with bales of barbed wire...and these look as if they may have been used for that purpose.
 

And finally, a couple of photos of the Searchlight Emplacement with its newly decorated look and new information board attached. A particularly big thank you to all those who have worked for many years to obtain the info board, of which I had the pleasure to be asked to add one of my photos from this article.

And here it is close up with my name on the credits at the bottom.
 

For more information about the Taunton Stop Line and photos of the pillboxes along the Axe Valley, please see the blog post Axe Valley WW2 Defences - Taunton Stopline Part One, which can be accessed here.

Cliff Castle and St Elmo, Seaton, Devon

This Grade II listed building was built in the mid 19th century; its wonderfully Victorian Gothic style - and elevated position overlooking the bay - suggesting wealth and fashionable eccentricity.

Comprising three storeys, and a Mansard attic storey, the corners and front bays are flanked by round turrets with fake cruciform arrow loops and topped with machicolations. I had to look that last word up! It means openings by which missiles could be dropped from a parapet onto the enemy below...those rampaging hoards of Victorian peasants! ;)
  

The building comprises two houses, and was probably originally built as two rather than one huge dwelling. Interestingly, this was a time when our own seaside towns were becoming popular as holiday destinations due to the political situation with France. Instead of touring Europe, people with means were looking to our own shores on which to throw up Cottage Orne and other delightfully neo-rustic buildings in which to stay for the summer months. This may even have been an early property venture as lettings to entice the wealthier classes to stay and spend locally.

Now converted into flats, there are modern windows in the balcony recess of Cliff Castle, with modern bay windows to the left. The later addition of a Mansard roof houses an attic storey penthouse. St Elmo on the right, above, retains a lovely arcaded second floor. The windows consist of delighful intersecting glazing tracery, and are surrounded by projecting arches.

One source (The Book of Seaton by Ted Gosling) suggests that it was built in 1825 by the local banker and builder Joseph Good. Originally used as his own residence it was later sold, at which time he added the crenelations at the behest of the new owner. He also donated part of the land to make the new Castle Hill road, which connects with the route to Beer village.

Joseph is also credited with building Calverly Lodge and Seaforth Lodge, but as these were commissioned by Sir Walter Trevelyan and Lady Ashburton respectively and designed by well-known architects, I should imagine that the term builder in his case refers to owning a building company contracted for building construction.

Situated on a sharp corner of Castle Hill, the photos above and below show the side elevation, along with Cliff Cottage tacked at the rear. 

And finally here's a view of the buildings from further down Castle Hill. The rounded wall is interesting because the flint & rubble end was originally a WW2 defence Type 24 Variant pillbox. The embrasures have been infilled, although close-up the outlines can still be seen, and it was built upon to give it more height. A wall has been tacked on to the right of it and a roof added to provide a covered parking bay.

More about the pillbox in the next post featuring Seaton's beach defences during WW2, the remains of which can still be seen. And the little thatched building to the left of the hill in the above photo will also be coming up in a future post. :)




 

Oldbury Castle Hillfort, Cherhill, Wiltshire

I wasn't going to post up this visit, as I only have these four photos - and not very good ones at that - but having recently came across some interesting history about it I decided to include it after all. I've enlarged them for this article so that the details are a little clearer. Situated near to the village of Cherhill, on the route between Calne and Marlborough, it was a quick stop on the way to Avebury, Stonehenge and other prehistoric sites which I visited in 2008.

What's interesting about the site is that it comprises a large earthwork, known as Oldbury Castle or Camp, the Cherhill White Horse, and an obelisk known as the Lansdowne Monument. The horse can just about be seen in the above photo, situated below the right side of the stand of trees.

An Iron Age hill fort, it covers 22 acres and includes a long barrow, with several other barrows within the nearby downland. Sitting upon an earlier Bronze Age settlement, finds include Bronze Age tools and also evidence of Roman occupation. In Cherhill village itself, the remains of a tessellated pavement featuring images of a hunting dog was uncovered near the church...possibly part of a Roman Villa. Like much of Wiltshire, the area is teeming with prehistoric remains, including prehistoric field systems on Cherhill Down connecting with the border to Avebury.

Eight still remain out of the original thirteen chalk Wiltshire horses; Cherhill being the second oldest. Cut in 1780 by Dr Christopher Alsop of Caine, it had the unusual feature of a glass eye formed by pressing upturned bottles into the ground, thereby reflecting the sunlight. They had all disappeared by the late 19th century however, and were replaced in the early 1970s during a local youth centre project. The youngsters put their names inside the bottles before setting them in the ground, but sadly they too eventually disappeared and the eye is now made from stone set into concrete.

The Lansdowne Monument was erected in 1845 by the Third Marquis of Lansdowne, and is a striking 125 ft stone obelisk that can clearly be seen for miles around. Consisting of three high steps, pedestal and main shaft, the base of the monument has now been fenced off with nets to catch stonework which has eroded due to recent cold winters.
 

Just a short post for this visit. I don't know how easy it is to access the earthwork but this was the closest I could get on a brief stop to have a look at it. However, for anyone in the vicinity with some more time, it might be worth a more thorough explore. :)

China Clay Pit, St Austell, Cornwall

I came across this site when travelling into Cornwall with a friend in 1997. We were amazed to see the bright turquoise colour of the water and the huge white heaps on an unearthly landscape, so we went to investigate. It's situated just outside the town of St Austell, and is not too far from the Eden Project, which was created in another disused clay pit. There are several of them in this area.

 

China clay (Kaolin) is found near to granite layers, much of which is in the South West in places such as Cornwall and the Dartmoor area of Devon. The wonderfully lunar-style landscape is formed by the heaps of by-products remaining after the extraction process, much of it quartz. One of these minerals is Mica, the high content of which causes discoloration of the water. Hence, the gorgeous turquoise lagoons.

I could almost imagine the tracks belonging to a moon vehicle. I don't know if the site was still being worked at the time, but all was quiet and deserted. There were outbuildings near the entrance to the site but for some reason I didn't think to explore or take photos of them when I had the opportunity.

When I was a child going on holiday with my family, the coach journeys sometimes took us past quarries with their white landscapes and they always fascinated me. I took these photos some 10 years before I got involved with the Urbexing online community (Urban Exploring), but since then I've taken every opportunity to explore quarries as I'm still totally fascinated by them. :)

As the journey was for a weekend holiday in Pelporro, there's also an article about some of the lovely buildings in the town, plus some other photos of Cornwall on the way there, which can be found here. :)

Check House, Seaton, Devon

Originally called Calverly Lodge, Check House was built for Sir William Calverly Trevelyan and his wife Pauline, and was used as their seaside residence. Sir William had inherited the manor of Seaton, and he and his wife developed and made several improvements to the area. Pauline was a patron of the Pre-Raphaelites and they entertained many well-known people of their day, including Thomas Carlyle and Florence Nightingale. Their friends also included Tennyson, Christina Rosetti, John Millais and William Morris’s wife Jane.

 
A Grade II Listed building, it comprises a large detached house in landscaped gardens, which overlook the sea, and a conservatory on the west side. There is also a 21st century extension to the east. The house itself is Victorian Gothic and was completed in 1866, probably to the designs of Benjamin Woodward, and the conservatory is possibly an addition circa late 19th century.

Knapped flint and stone form the chequered patterns, along with dressings of red brick and stone, which looks quite striking in the sun. The slate roof is steeply pitched and gabled, with ornate ridge tiles, and the gables are decorated with shaped and pierced bargeboards, which always remind me of 'Hansel and Gretel' fairytale cottages! The window frames consist of chamfered stone with shouldered and cusped arches. I love the tiny quatrefoil window set into the exterior chimney breast, above.

Consisting of two storeys, the plan and elevations are asymmetrical. As can be seen on the first photo at the top of the page, the west side shows a canted bay with pyramidal roof. It's quite delightfully higgledy-piggledy, and changes dramatically when viewed from even the slightest vantage point. Unfortunately, I was unable to see the south side, but apparently there is a cast iron verandah with decorative pierced spandrels and a glazed tented roof, which spans the south elevation and curves around the corner.
 

 

Most of what can be seen is from the road, which is on the north side, and which shows the rear of the main building. The front entrance is to the east, accessed by a driveway, and this is where we see it at its most asymmetrical and fairytale best. A gabled timber porch surrounds the door, with ornate bargeboards and finial. There is a three-light window in the gable above, another bargeboarded gable to the right of that, whereas to the left there is an exterior corbelled chimney breast topped with charmingly diagonal chimney shafts. A pyramidal roof supports the chimney...and is obligingly complete with a seagull on top!

According to the Check House website, there is an elegant staircase inside made from Beer Stone, with its balustrade entwined with lilies. That, and the verandah, call for a further visit for permission to take photos inside.

When I first wrote this up for the Blue Plaques page on my website I originally said that this was probably one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. However, I'd like to retract that statement since making a further visit to retake the photos. This time I concentrated on the original building, leaving out the extension and conservatory at the rear. And now I can see why I feel differently. The original house is quite stunning but the additional extension causes an imbalance by the extra square-covered walls. Maybe if those walls were kept simple they may not have detracted from the original design of the main house.

As it happens, the building is now a care home and in 2005 won the Healthcare Design Award for the best extension to an existing home! ;)

This item can also be seen in the blog post of the Blue Plaques of Seaton, although with a lot less information and photos. :)