World War II Anti-tank Defences at Eastney Beach

Reasons for Designation

The line of World War II anti-tank concrete cubes at Eastney beach is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * As a significant group exhibiting different forms of construction for anti-tank cubes; * As a form of coastal defence with a clear relationship with Portsmouth's earlier, designated Fort defences; * As an approximately 400m stretch of good condition, early (summer 1940) anti-tank defences of special historic interest.

Details

774-1/0/10049 EASTNEY 23-MAR-10 World War II anti-tank defences at Eas tney beach

II 1940 anti-tank obstacles at Eastney beach consisting of a series of over 280 concrete cubes.

MATERIALS: Concrete with a local sand and shingle aggregate.

DESCRIPTION: The cubes are approximately 1m square and continue in line for over 400m from Eastney Fort East in the west to Fort Cumberland in the east (both Scheduled Ancient Monuments). The different layers of cement tipping are visible on many of them.

The cubes show evidence of two different forms of shuttering used for their construction; some show evidence of wooden board shuttering whilst others exhibit texturing caused by corrugated iron shuttering. Some of the cubes have metal fittings and exhibit evidence of paint (though it is currently not possible to determine if this paint is original).

The cubes at the far western end show evidence of being constructed on a continuous plinth. It is not possible at this time to determine if this is true for all the blocks in this group as a number have been buried under an earth bank. As well as this a number of the gaps between the cubes at this point have later been filled in with breeze blocks, it is not felt that this was part of the original design and therefore does not have the same significance as the blocks themselves. The blocks to the eastern end of the line have undergone more erosion than those to the west and have suffered some displacement though they are still clearly part of the continuous line of defence and as such are included within the listing.

HISTORY: Portsmouth is the only British city which is on an island site. This fact meant that from the C15 it was recognised as an important naval position. From this time onwards the port of Portsmouth has been afforded protection through the introduction of varying forms of defences. Since Napoleonic to more recent times Portsmouth has acted as a naval base and an important garrison town. Fort Cumberland and Eastney Fort East (both Scheduled Ancient Monuments) were part of the C19 development of Portsmouth's defences. It is the vulnerable stretch of foreshore between these two defensive structures, that the anti-tank cubes were constructed to protect. These anti-tank obstacles date to the earliest period of the building of such defences during the Second World War, in the summer of 1940.

REASON FOR DESIGNATION: The line of Second World War anti-tank concrete cubes at Eastney beach is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * As a sigificant group exhibiting different forms of construction for anti-tank cubes; * As a form of coastal defence with a clear relationship with Portsmouth's earlier, designated Fort defences; * As an approximately 400m stretch of good condition, early (summer 1940) anti-tank defences of special historic interest.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

507478

Legacy System:

LBS

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