Documents

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The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  Legal Documents for Cobleland, pillbox 170m NE of (SM10826)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600025826)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a pillbox dating from the Second World War and visible as an upstanding building. The monument stands at about 10m OD above the east bank of the River Forth, immediately west of a dismantled railway and the main A81 trunk road.

This Type 22 brick and concrete pillbox was built in 1940/41 as part of local defences protecting Cobleland Bridge, 100m to the SW, and the site of a former road and rail bridge 20m to the NE. The largest of the seven gun ports face in these directions.

The entrance is on the WNW side. During the war, the nearby Gartmore Station (now Station Cottage) handled munitions; the policies of Gartmore House, 1.4km to the SSW, were utilised as an ammunitions dump; and Gartmore House itself and the village hall (formerly a disused church) were used as barracks and the officers' mess. Few pillboxes were built in this area of West Stirlingshire and Perthshire, as they did not form part of the main coastal anti-invasion defences.

This hexagonal building has measures 4.8m across externally (maximum) and stands 2.8m high with walls 0.6m thick. It survives to its full height and its roof is intact, although some of the upper courses of brickwork are beginning to deteriorate.

The scheduled area is circular with a diameter of 6.8m. It includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a well-preserved example of a single-period World War II building, typical of Britain's defences. It is a rare feature in this locality of West Stirlingshire, as few pillboxes were constructed inland in central Scotland; a comparable example seems to have been demolished in about 1980. Its significance is enhanced given the availability of documentary evidence and oral testimony. The pillbox has the potential to contribute to our understanding of this period.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.