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Cowie Line is a pill box and anti-tank obstacle position located 450 metres west of Ury House in Kincardineshire, Scotland. The site lies upon bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, a formation of psammite and pelite laid down during the Middle Cambrian period, which provides the underlying geology characteristic of this region of northeast Scotland.
The defensive works comprise a reinforced concrete pill box and associated anti-tank blocks positioned to command the landscape west of Ury. These structures represent part of Scotland's broader network of emergency defences, built in anticipation of invasion during the Second World War. The anti-tank blocks would have formed a substantial barrier against armoured vehicles along this stretch of countryside.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM6438, recognising its significance as evidence of wartime defensive strategy and civil preparedness in this part of Kincardineshire. The monument survives as a tangible record of the period when coastal and lowland Scotland faced the real threat of German invasion and occupation.
Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks 450m W of Ury House is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6438. View the official record →
Cowie Line is a pill box and anti-tank obstacle position located 450 metres west of Ury House in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6438.
Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks 450m W of Ury House is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM6438.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cowie Line, pill boxes & anti-tank blocks 200m SW-275m SE of Ury House (0.7 km), Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks ESE of Rickarton House (1.3 km), Unenclosed settlement, 250m NW of cemetery, Kirkton of Fetteresso (1.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks 450m W of Ury House'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.
Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks 450m W of Ury House stands on Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.