Aberdeen City HER - NJ91SE0091 - BALGOWNIE BEACH NORTH

Print site NJ91SE0091 Feedback on site NJ91SE0091

Main Details

Primary ReferenceNJ91SE0091
NameBALGOWNIE BEACH NORTH
NRHE Card No. 
NRHE Numlink
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. NULL
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Incomplete
Details Remains of World War II anti-tank blocks north of Balgownie Beach North Pillbox (NJ91SE0045), part of a longer line of coastal defences (NJ91SE0003). During World War Two defensive lines were created on vulnerable coasts, consisting of concrete blocks set in lines over miles linking pillboxes and other defences. The main purpose of anti tank obstacles and obstructions was to slow a tank's progress. As the tank climbed the obstruction the vulnerable underside was exposed to anti tank guns. These examples have large jagged rocks embedded in the concrete. This would have the effect of tearing the tracks of a tank that attempted to cross them. The original position of these anti tank blocks has been altered heavily by coastal erosion in recent years. Some no longer stand upright, but lie on their sides, exposing the concrete rafts that they were placed on for stability. On-site construction involved pouring concrete into wooden shuttering, leaving the imprints of the wooden planks on the surface of the concrete. On a few of the blocks, where the concrete has eroded, an iron latticework has been exposed embedded in the concrete. Site visit in November 2022 as part of the SCAPE Coastal Zone Assessment Survey noted that the blocks were tumbled but still in their original alignment, close to the coast edge.
Last Update05/01/2024
Updated Bycpalmer
CompilerACU
Date of Compilation13/09/2017

Google Map for NJ91SE0091

National Grid Reference: NJ 9594 1178



Event Details

Event DateEvent TypeOASIS ID
2022 Field Observation

Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types