RAF Stenigot opened during WWII as a Chain Home radar station. During the 1950s, NATO selected the site for use in it’s Ace High communication programme – a huge communication’s network from Norway to Turkey.
As always, the excellent SubBrit has more details about the site.
Ace High dishes
The station closed during the 1990s and the dishes were dismounted and dumped in a field. They are huge – their diameter is 60ft and weigh roughly 100 tonnes each.
Receiver block
A small building sits near the dishes – the Chain Home radar station receiver block from WWII. In my recently annoyingly typical forgetfulness, I didn’t photo the outside. I need to write something on my hand about that on my next trip somewhere.
Twitter
RSS feed
My family lived at Stenigot in the early 50s. We lived in one of the two married quarters directly under the masts. At the age of 6 I climbed up one of the masts and they had to have a full scale rescue to get me down. When not at school in Donnington on Bain my three brothers and I used to spend our time in the guardroom next door where the RAF police used to make toast for us and we played with the guard dogs.
The camp was surrounded by a high fence and our dog Maxi used to dig tunnels under the fence.It was the job of one of the poor national servicemen to walk the fence and fill in all the holes.
I remember one night two of the police were playing cowboys with their guns and one of them got shot!!
I have fond memories of the place but my mother thought it was the worst place she had ever lived.
Could anyone who has anymore information about raf stenigot please put it up, i.e photos or plans of it or anything like that. Many thanks