There are numerous excellent places in Guildford that are fun to spend time visiting, but which everyone knows about. The same cannot be said of the ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ in Thorneycroft Wood, which are easy to find but not spoken about all that often. The unusual monument is often stumbled upon and admired by visitors to the wood, with the number of people heading there likely to go up thanks to the fact that they have been given protected status by Historic England, which has put them on the map like never before. One of the big questions is, what exactly are they?
What the ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ Actually Are
You might be able to hazard a guess about what the so-called ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ actually are if you learn that they were put in place between 1941 and 1942. The concrete structures are shaped like a pyramid but without the point on the top, their intended purpose being to stop tanks from being able to roll into a given area. The decision to build them during the Second World War was taken in order to offer Guildford some protection against the possibility of an invasion, thanks to the imminent threat posed by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany after France fell in 1940.
A network of defences along the coast was built, as well as in some inland strongholds, known as ‘nodal points’. The aim was to protect certain key locations for seven days, allowing some time for reinforcements to arrive, with Guildford being labelled as a ‘Category A’ nodal point. That is because it was considered to be vital to national defence, so there was a need for it to have a proper defensive perimeter put in place, of which the anti-tank obstacles were an important part. Designed to delay, or preferably halt, the movement of tanks, there are examples of them throughout the area.
Protected Status
The remnants of other tank defences can also be seen in areas such as on the approach to London Road Railway Station, but the ones in Thorneycroft Woods are arguably the best example of them anywhere in the country. That is why Historic England has chosen to give them protected status, along with the fact that they are very rare and that they have survived very well. Their cultural importance cannot be overstated, when you consider the fact that there was a genuine fear that the country could be invaded and a need to protect certain areas was seen as paramount.
This amazing look back into the country’s history of the time around the Second World War feels like it should be in a museum, but for Guildford residents and those that visit the town, they are just waiting to be discovered in the local woods. Countless people will have walked past them over years without any idea of what they were or why they were so important, but that is likely to change thanks to Historic England’s choice to properly honour them in a way that means that they will be looked up much more fondly in the coming weeks, months and years by everyone.
How to Find Them
Whilst some of the monuments that also have protected status can be difficult to reach, the reality is that the ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ of Guildford are relatively easy to go and see. There is a small piece of woodland in between the A3 and the Spectrum, which is not far on foot from Stoke Park. The chances are high that anyone that has gone for a walk in Thorneycroft Wood will have seen them, seemingly hiding amongst the trees. Placed in rows on one of the hills only a short walk into the woods, the ‘teeth’ were laid in the wood because of its location close to the town of Guildford.
Thorneycroft Wood itself made up the north-eastern corner of the perimeter that the British Army put in place in order to potentially delay any German invasion, running from the River Way to Stoke Park through the woods and off towards the railway line. That will offer you some idea of how easy the ‘teeth’ are to find by those that want to take a closer look at them. Offered the status of being a ‘scheduled monument’, Historic England has bestowed the Dragon’s Teeth with the highest level of protection that it is able to give. They can easily fit into a pleasant walk, for example.
If you want to find the simplest way to view the ‘teeth’, then you need only enter Thorneycroft Wood through the entrance to it that can be found on Parkway Road. From there, you follow the path that comes off the pavement that is located next to the leisure centre, walking into the woods and following the path until the Dragon’s Teeth are in front of you. Once you’re in the woods, you can then head off and have a look at the Riverside Park Nature Reserve, which is a 30-hectare wildlife sanctuary where you are likely to be able to find the likes of deer and cows grazing.