The Banstead Image Library
Tank stops on Park Downs
This photo, which I took in the early 1950s, shows my mum and dad, Iris and Len Williams, among the tank stops on Park Downs, Banstead. I never could understand why the tank stops were put down the hill! I looked out this photo after reading a piece in the All Saints Notices about the tank stops outside the Institute in Banstead High Street.
Picture added on 16 July 2021 at 15:30
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"Tank Stops, known in 1940 as Dragon's Teeth, were positioned here because of the anti-tank ditch which crossed the road at the entrance to Park Farm. There was presumably a moveable barrier to deal with everyday road access, and the Home Guard map at the time indicates this.
"There’s a copy of this map in the Banstead History Centre (as is my What Did You Do in The War, Banstead, a mini-survey of our local defences). On the map, look for pillbox 48 and you will see a series of dots showing where the Dragon’s Teeth were installed, adjacent to the pillbox."