World War II Tank Traps

[Penny Tray]

Rare examples of World War II tank traps on public roads still exis in Ardrossan and Saltcoats. The ones in Ardrossan are in Glasgow Street (I'm not sure at exactly which point) and Dalry Road (opposite the Auld Yin's kitchen window) (at the Junction with Eglinton Road). The Saltcoats ones are on Ardrossan Road near the Iron Bridge (must have been outside your hoose Down South?).

http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index. ... nTankTraps" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any in Stevenston?

[Meg]

I can tell you exactly where they were in Glasgow Street PT - they were between the Plazza and the Gents Toilet on the corner. My dad told me about the pattern of the metal covers identical on both sides of the street. There were a lot more in Ardrossan, I can remember the ones in Dalry road, and I think there might have been some along at the bottom of the gasworks brae on the High Road - and I think there were some at the bottom of Glasgow Street, or it might have been in Princes Street. They were still around in the mid 70s because I told my son about them and we looked at both sides of the street to make sure the pattern was the same.

Meg

[meekan]

Penny,
I didn't know about the tank traps in Glasgow Street. But I certainly knew about the Bike traps.
Where the tank traps were triangular shaped when in place the bike traps were sort of oblong ---- shaped a bit like a horse trough.

[Penny Tray]

Meekan,

I often laugh to myself when I think of you crashing into the horse trough with your new bike.

[George Ardrossan]

These are photos from September 2005 of the tank traps in Ardrossan. The first two were taken in Dalry Road and the third one in Glasgow Street.

More details can be seen on http://www.ArdrossanPhotographs.net by clicking Tank Traps in the left frame.

George

[Meg]

I dont know if I am remembering this rightly, but I think my dad also said that there was a plan that they could be used also as barriers across the main roads leading in and out of the town - he said that there were metal poles about 3 or 4 feet high that had a metal barrier across the top, so it would be like a kind of gate, once the poles were positioned they would then be filled with concrete - but maybe I am misremembering

Meg

[down south]

They certainly look extremely familiar now I've seen them in a close-up view. I expect I walked over them every day for years and years; but I have no idea of the exact spot now. I wouldn't have known they were anything special, just another lot of funny-looking manhole covers....I think if I stay on this site long enough every detail of my Three Towns life is going to pass before my eyes, even tiny half-forgotten things like these !

Susan

[brian f]

Rare examples of World War II tank traps on public roads still exis in Ardrossan and Saltcoats. The ones in Ardrossan are in Glasgow Street (I'm not sure at exactly which point) and Dalry Road (opposite the Auld Yin's kitchen window) (at the Junction with Eglinton Road). The Saltcoats ones are on Ardrossan Road near the Iron Bridge (must have been outside your hoose Down South?).

http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index. ... nTankTraps" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any in Stevenston?

This is from my part of the World (Cambridge)

Underground obstructions – a tank road constructed during World War II is believed to run under Milton Road, as it also does on Histon Road. This delayed some elements of work whilst the concrete was removed.

So with all the tank traps in Ardrossan roads, i take it no Tank roads?