Dragon's teeth and an elf garden Unusual structures added to English heritage list

If Nazi tanks had ever tried to invade Guildford, they surely would have been thwarted by concrete pyramid-shaped obstacles known as "dragon's teeth".

- Mark Brown

Eight decades after the defences were installed in Surrey woodland, their history is being remembered by Historic England (HE), which has included them on its list of remarkable historic places granted protection in 2025.

The heritage body publishes a roundup of unusual listings to draw attention to the diversity of places that join the national heritage list for England each year.

As well as the antitank defences, this year’s list of 19 places includes a revolutionary 1960s concrete university block, a model boat club boathouse built in 1933 by men who were long-term unemployed, and a magical suburban “elf garden”.

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, the co-chief executives of HE, said the listings provided a connection to the people and events that shaped communities.

"From ancient burial sites to shipwrecks and wartime defences to postmodernist buildings, street furniture and Arts and Crafts gardens, these sites reveal the fascinating history that surrounds us all," they said.

The "dragon's teeth" in Thorneycroft Wood, Surrey, were built in 1941-42 by the Royal Engineers and manned by the Home Guard. They are categorised as a scheduled monument.