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Latitude: 57.3703 / 57°22'13"N
Longitude: -2.7875 / 2°47'14"W
OS Eastings: 352737
OS Northings: 831368
OS Grid: NJ527313
Mapcode National: GBR M9G7.RS8
Mapcode Global: WH7M5.40XN
Entry Name: Mains of Cults, pill box 600m NW of
Scheduled Date: 8 November 2005
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Source ID: SM11353
Schedule Class: Cultural
Category: 20th Century Military and Related: Pillbox
Location: Kennethmont
County: Aberdeenshire
Electoral Ward: Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford
Traditional County: Aberdeenshire
The monument is a pill box, built as a response to the threat of German invasion in 1940 or 1941. It stands at the corner of the public road covering a road bridge crossing the main Aberdeen-Inverness railway.
The pill box is a well-preserved example, apparently a variant of Type 24. It measures 7.3m N-S by 4.05m E-W, has walls 0.45m thick and is built entirely of concrete. The entrance is in the rear wall, protected by an internal baffle wall. On each of the NW, W and SW walls there is a pair of internally splayed embrasures. There is an additional embrasure at the angle of the W and SW walls, covering part of the rail cutting.
The area to be scheduled is rectangular and measures 10m N-S and 9m E-W, as marked in red on the attached map.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The monument's historical significance can be expressed under three headings:
INTRINSIC CHARACTERISTICS. The monument is well-preserved and has suffered little alteration.
CONTEXTUAL CHARACTERISTICS. The monument is a good representative of a once numerous class. It is the only well-preserved example surviving in the area of the western Strathdon scheduling project. Its location and relationship to the landscape are integral to understanding of the pill box's original function and use. It is part of a wider pattern of defences across North-East Scotland and Britain as a whole.
ASSOCIATIVE CHARACTERISTICS. The monument is the product of significant historical events and defensive structures of this period that have an important place in popular memory.
NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. The monument is of National Importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular the response to the 1940 invasion scare, the design and planning of defensive features, and the use of the landscape in defence. This potential is enhanced by its state of preservation. Its class contributes significantly to the 20th-century landscape. Its loss would significantly affect the completeness of the surviving Second World War defences in the North-East.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Bibliography
The monument is recorded by RCAHMS as NJ53SW 26 and the SMR number is NJ53SW0024.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
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