Monument record 4079/1/1 - Concrete Cylinders at Chester Zoo

These are a set of 100 large cylindrical concrete World War Two Tank Traps. Tank traps were large concrete blocks designed to stop tanks or expose their vulnerable undersides. They are in the grounds of Chester Zoo, in the old car park, but not in their original positions; they now line the old car park. Many tank traps were put in strategic places such as on bridges or by canals and railways to block the routes of potential invading forces. There were many types of Tank Traps but by far the most durable are the large concrete blocks like these. Many have survived long after the war. They are so durable that they are often moved, to line car parks for example, rather than going through the trouble of destroying them. These blocks have a central hole, probably to hold rails or barbed wire, and are likely to have been collected from around Chester at the end of the war.