About

An unusual piece of wartime history can be found on the seawall heading out of Burnham-on-Crouch towards Bradwell-on-Sea. Around 4 miles from Burnham you will come to a unique hexagonal, two-storey control/observation tower and an accompanying double-ended pillbox, both now a Listed building and still in good condition after being built during World War II to protect the area from German invasion.

Built in 1940, the pillbox predates the minefield control tower. Originally one of a series of manned defensive pillboxes along the coast, it housed the firing equipment for the original two warheads deployed at Holliwell Point. With the expansion of the minefield in the River Crouch estuary in 1941, the impressive control tower was purpose-built, the only one of its kind in England. 

The minefield control tower, with 17 machine gun apertures to give all-round defence, plus a steel door and 60cm thick walls, survives in particularly good condition and provides a unique record of the architecture and design of this type of combined observation/control post. Together with the nearby pillbox, the two structures provide a graphic illustration of the threat, acutely felt at the time, of the impending German invasion.

The tower stands on the edge of an open field next to the sea wall, while you will find the pillbox built into the sea wall 15m to the south east. If you continue further along the coastal path you can also find the remains of a Mulberry harbour near Bradwell-on-Sea.