Monument record 4054/0/1 - Pickett-Hamilton fort 600m south east of Limekiln Farm

<1> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 2003 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

The monument includes the concrete shell and underground remains of a Pickett-Hamilton fort on the site of a former United States Airforce (USAAF) base at Burtonwood. The fort was designed to form a small part of the defenses for the airfield during World War II and was one of three constructed. It was built after the commissioning of the site for the Royal Air Force in 1940, and completed in 1941. By 1944 the airfield had been handed over for the use of the USAAF. Above ground, all that is visible is the circular concrete slab which forms the lid of the retracted fort. A small manhole, originally covered by a steel hatch, is set into this lid; this aperture has been protected by a concrete and steel manhole cover from a drain. The interior has been pumped free of water and an internal inspection demonstrates that the original pump mechanism for the hydraulic jacks is intact, as are all interior fittings, albeit severely rusted. The cover slab and its setting is 4m in diameter.

<2> C S Dobinson, 2000, Twentieth Century Fortifications in England. Volume X. Airfield Defences in WWII (Report). SCH4450.

One of three built for this airfield

<3> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, 1464711 (Web Site). SCH6528.

The Pickett-Hamilton fort was scheduled in December 2002. In 2018 Scheduled Monument Consent was granted for the fort to be moved approximately 600m south to enable development of the site. After restoration the Pickett-Hamilton fort was relocated to this new position. It is now displayed raised and partially set into a sloping embankment, enabling more of the structure to be seen. De-scheduled in 2020 and Grade II listed in the new location


Pickett-Hamilton fort of around 1940 on the former RAF Burtonwood Airfield, from June 1942 former USAAF base. Relocated to its present location at SJ 56782 90304 in 2019
EXTERIOR: The outer concrete cylinder (which would have been sunk entirely into the ground with only the top surface visible) is only partly sunk into the ground, with the eastern side fully exposed. The inner concrete cylinder is fully raised. It has three horizontal rectangular loopholes and an overhanging, circular, concrete slab lid. The lid has an offset manhole with a steel cover.

INTERIOR: the fort retains the central hydraulic jack and original pump mechanism, which are no longer in working order. They have been sand blasted and painted to preserve the components. The hydraulic jack is encircled by a concrete firing platform on which the men stood to reach the loopholes. It is unclear whether the original metal rungs set in the outer cylinder wall, used to climb down into the fort, survive.

Listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* as a specialist type of pillbox designed specifically for airfield defence, ingeniously remaining flush with the ground and raised to provide cross-fire in the event of an enemy attack;
* the fort is largely intact, though no longer in working order, with the concrete firing platform, central hydraulic jack and pump mechanism surviving.

Historic interest:
* the fort is a remaining reminder of the defensive measures Britain put in place to protect its airfields during the Second World War, here associated with RAF Burtonwood, which was transferred in 1942 to the United States Army Air Forces to become a servicing centre for their aircraft.