The strange, abandoned buildings scattered around Greater Manchester

They can be found almost anywhere - at the side of roads, in fields and woodland, even on golf courses. The British landscape is dotted with military pillboxes, stoic remnants of the country's wartime past, particularly from World War Two.

These small, robust structures - many of which can still be found scattered around Greater Manchester - were designed as fortified positions for troops to engage the enemy. Constructed mostly from concrete, they were easily camouflaged and built to blend into various environments, from urban areas to countryside and coastlines.

The strategic placement of these pillboxes was a crucial part of a defence strategy known as 'stop lines,' aimed at halting or repelling potential land invasions by German forces. Each pillbox was typically equipped with loopholes for rifles and machine guns, providing protected positions that would enable soldiers to hold off advancing troops.

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Many of these fortified positions were built across the region with some still surviving to this day. On the Pillbox Study Group website, an interactive map of these wartime relics shows where across Britain these fortifications were placed, and which ones still stand.

According to Historic England, during World War Two, around 28,000 pillboxes appeared along the coast of England. Other pillbox positions were built near airfields to defend from potential paratroopers and around reservoirs and waterways, which is where a number can still be found around Greater Manchester.

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With the reduced threat of a German