Springfontein Rice Pattern Blockhouse replica (FS)
Over 8,500 of these small, cheap, and easy to assemble, mass produced blockhouses, originally designed by Major Spring Rice (Royal Engineers) were built to protect the railway lines and to ensnare the roving Boer Commandos. Each occupied about 6 men, commanded by a Lance-Corporal also having up to 4 black guards to man observation posts at night. Not many of these blockhouses have survived, but the ones remaining are all identified and described in the Field Guide.
Brakpoort Elliot Wood Pattern Blockhouse (NC)
Around 500 of these much larger blockhouses were built, designed by Major General Elliot Wood, the senior Royal Engineer officer during the war. They were used to protect key points such as railway bridges and stations. After they were built, and occupied no attacks occurred at points they guarded. They took around 3 months to build and were expensive in building material, which led to the Rice Patterns Blockhouses being conceived. Find out how these were built and used during the war in The Engineers Perspective, the full story of The Blockhouses.
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