Towering high above the railway, almost at the top of the embankment on the west side of the deep cutting, is a hexagonal pillbox. From this position it looks out across the cutting to the fields on the east side. It is constructed of concrete which has been shuttered with brick, all of which still survives. The embankment is very steep at this point and to compensate for this the front of the pillbox stands on a high brick base. Thus the front is 14ft 8in high while the rear, on top of the embankment, is 7ft 9in high. In the centre of the roof is an anti-aircraft machine-gun well complete with mounting pedestal and steel fittings. Each side of the well, lying horizontally across the roof, is a 14ft long steel rod fixed at each end (two rods in total). It is thought that the purpose of these rods is to hold a sliding well cover.

The width of the pillbox is 17ft 10in; the walls are, surprisingly, 19in thick. This is in contrast to the 3ft 6in walls of the anti-aircraft pillboxes further south along the Eastern Command Line. Perched as it is, the weight factor may have necessitated this. There are six loopholes, each of them with a large steel surround with a 9in x 6in firing aperture.

The low entrance is on the west side. Inside, the pillbox is very clean and there are remains of the shelf brackets beneath the loopholes.

Six photos of site.<1>

SITE ASSESSMENT:
Standing as it does, high above the railway line on its brick plinth, the Janke's Green pillbox is particularly impressive. It has survived well, with a number of interesting extant features. Every effort should be made to ensure its continued survival.

See also <2> & <3>.