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Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch is a pillbox constructed as part of the defensive fortifications erected around an airfield in Wales during the Second World War. Built upon Ashgill bedrock comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, the structure represents the permanent fixed defences installed to protect vital military infrastructure from air and ground attack during the conflict. Such pillboxes formed the backbone of British airfield security, providing reinforced positions for machine-gun emplacements and observation posts.
The site lies within the broader network of perimeter defences that surrounded the airfield, typically comprising a circuit of concrete and brick structures positioned at regular intervals. These fortifications were designed to deny enemy access to the runway and essential buildings, creating a defensive cordon that could be maintained by a relatively small garrison of personnel. The local geology of mudstone and siltstone provided a stable foundation for construction in this rural Welsh landscape.
Today, the pillbox survives as a physical record of wartime military engineering and the state of preparedness maintained across Britain's airfields during the Second World War. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage agency, under reference CD211, recognising its historical significance as evidence of the nation's defensive investment during one of the most critical periods of modern British history.
Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD211. View the official record →
Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch is a pillbox constructed as part of the defensive fortifications erected around an airfield in Wales during the Second World War. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD211.
Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a pillbox. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CD211.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Llandygwydd Defended Enclosure (5.6 km), Onnen-Deg Defended Settlement (5.7 km), Llwynduris Castle Mound (5.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Airfield Perimeter Defences at Blaenannerch stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.