RAF Oakington closed many years ago – in 1999 to be precise. A year later the domestic areas were turned into a high security immigration reception centre.
The good news is that technical buildings such as boiler-rooms and hangars aren’t on the IRC site. The even better news is that there’s a car boot sale on this part of the site every weekend, making access really easy.
But now for some bad news. The whole site is to go to make way for a new Cambridge commuter town…
Hangars
There are four hangars on site – two J-types with curved rooves, and two T2 metal hangars.
I managed to get inside one of them. Despite being really empty, I was awestruck by it’s size. Things banging on the roof made it ever-so-slightly scary in there (pigeons? expanding metal in the heat?).
Water Tower / Boilers
There was a delightful brick water tower attatched to a boiler house. As with most places, the ladder had been cut off 
Inside the boiler house were, er, boilers…
A metal water tower was also there.
An office
A lot of the buildings were sealed up, but I managed to get into a few. The first seemed to be some sort of office/records building.
A stores building
The other seemed to be a stores building. It had ramps & bays for (un)loading vans
Other buildings etc
All locked up.
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Wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the ex RAF Oakington Personel, residents of Longstanton and Oakington,also a big Thank You to Derelicte for keeping this page open.Nice to read that they intend retaining some of the station buildings.
I have been watching a video of the new Busway and stations & roads in the Longstanton/Oakington area,Quite remarkable,
Best Wishes from Geordie
HI GEORDIE . GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU .THIS SITE APPEARS TO HAVE BITTEN THE DUST .I AM SURPRISED . AS IT WAS ALIVE AND KICKING TWO YEARS AGO .ANYWAY . HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR .. TAKE CARE AND KEEP WELL .CHEERS.. RAY HUYTON .
Hi Ray,
Nice to hear from you,Yes its a bit disappointing I would have thought that there might have been one or two more from our era,we live in hope, have been around the net a fair bit and haven’t found anyone that I know. a few more Geordies have come to mind, Stebbing (M/T),Robson (Bishop Aukland) I classed him as aGeordie & Auchterlonie (Gateshead) (Both Airmen mess) peeled the spuds for him at RAF Gravely, a Jackson in the hangers somewhere. Can you recall the ejector seat training modual that visited the station in 54/55 where was it parked? I remember all our lot wanting a try only to be told that the cartridge was too expensive. Kind regards Geordie
HI GEORDIE GOOD TO HEAR YOU .I REMEMBER AUCHTERLONIE .GOOD BIG CENTRE HALF IN THE SOCCER TEAM. I REMEMBER THE EJECTOR SEAT MODULE WE DEMONSTRATED THE USE OF IT WITH LIVE PILOT OFFICERS, THE HARGE WAS SET ACCORDING TO THE WEIGHT OF THE PILOT IN THE SEAT .BUT WE HAD A DIFFERENT TWIST, WITH A 13 STONE PILOS A SMALL CHARGE WAS SET AND WHEN HE TRIGGARD ,HE ONLY SHOT ABOUT 10 FT UP THE RAMP.HE WASNT HALF SURPRISED.WHEREAS A 10 STONE PILOT GOT THE FULL MONTY .GREAT MEMORIES GEORDIE, WE WILL KEEP THE SITE ALIVE CHEERS,,RAY
Just stumbled across this site by coincidence. I am reading my Dad’s hand-written memoirs, and there is so much about RAF Oakington, where he was stationed 1941 to around 1947, that I looked it up. He mentions trips into Cottenham, Cambridge, Swavesey where he met my Mam, who was in the Land Army (Dad was from Hull and Mam from Leeds). He talks about the Lancs, and Mosquitos on photographic and met trips, and other “kites” as he calls them, and he mentions so many people – he was in ATC. I remember as a small child, at night sitting drinking cocoa and listening to him telling me and my sisters about when he was later in the Far East closing dromes down, making the stories really funny….wonderful memories. It is all so interesting, and now as I read I can picture it a bit better. Sadly he passed away 2 years ago – he was 85. Thanks for the page.
sorry….I meant “Middle East” (obviously not the Far East!