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Cowie Line pill box and anti-tank blocks ESE of Rickarton House is a Second World War defensive installation in Kincardineshire, Scotland. The site comprises a concrete pill box and associated anti-tank blocks positioned on bedrock of Southern Highland Group psammite and pelite, formed during the Middle Cambrian period. This class of defensive structure was characteristic of Britain's inland anti-invasion preparations during 1940-41, when German invasion threatened the east coast of Scotland.
The pill box served as a machine-gun or anti-tank gun emplacement, designed to provide interlocking fields of fire across the landscape. The anti-tank blocks, typically arranged in staggered rows or scattered patterns, would have obstructed movement by armoured vehicles. The choice of location east of Rickarton House reflects strategic military assessment of terrain and potential enemy approach routes in this part of Kincardineshire.
The installation is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM6551. These structures survive as tangible reminders of the immediate threat of invasion that shaped civil defence planning across Britain during the early years of the Second World War, and remain important evidence of how the Scottish coast was fortified during this critical period.
Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks ESE of Rickarton House is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6551. View the official record →
Cowie Line pill box and anti-tank blocks ESE of Rickarton House is a Second World War defensive installation in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6551.
Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks ESE of Rickarton 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 SM6551.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cheynehill Wood,enclosures & field ststems 750m N of Hillhead (0.6 km), Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks 450m W of Ury House (1.3 km), Cowie Line, pill boxes & anti-tank blocks 200m SW-275m SE of Ury House (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cowie Line, pill box & anti-tank blocks ESE of Rickarton 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 ESE of Rickarton House stands on Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.