Stoneyfield House, Road And Rail Block

This brick-built pillbox was used to guard the A96 approach to Inverness at Stoneyfield. It lies beside the old A96 roadbridge over the Inverness- Aberdeen railway line.

Information from the UK Pillbox Studies Group, June 2012

A Second World War road and rail block lies on by the shore on a section of the disused former Inverness to Nairn road and by the present railway. The road and rail block lay between the shore and the foot of a steep raised beach (NH 69087 45831) and comprised a series of at least three large concrete blocks which are visible on an RAF oblique air photograph M/010/241D G005 (flown 1 April 1941) between the road and railway, and an unknown number of smaller concrete blocks. Also visible on the air photograph are the three pillboxes beside the road bridge over the railway which covered the road and rail blocks.

After information from local archaeology group ARCH, a visit was made to the site. One large concrete blocks remains in situ next to the N side of the railway, three blocks lie on the S side of the road and the fourth on the beach are not in their original position and appear to be smaller than the in situ block. A possible concrete block may lie on the S side of the railway but this could not be seen at the time of the visit.

Covering the road and rail block are four rectangular brick and concrete pillboxes. Three pillboxes are located on or beside the road bridge over the railway to the W of the rail block. A fourth pillbox lies above and slightly to the E of the rail block on a steep sided tree covered hill.

Two of the three pillboxes are built into the embankments of the bridge. The pillbox on the N side of the bridge (NH 68897 45817) lies on the W side of the embankment and covers the road and beach. The second pillbox lies on the E side of the southern approach (NH 68894 45782) and has two loopholes. The larger third pillbox (NH 68915 45784) is situated to the S of the railway and below and E of the bridge. This pillbox has three firing loops on the E wall and a door on its W side. All three appear to be simple brick walled pillboxes with a concrete roof.

The fourth pillbox (approx NH 69114 45810) lies forward of the rail block and one of the two loopholes is angled to the W to fire down on to the rail block. In contrast with the other three this pillbox has large concrete lintels about the loopholes and the W facing doorway.

Visited by RCAHMS (AKK) and M Briscoe 5 October 2014.