Reports - Raf
RAF Bodney
Where? Norfolk. Photos 18. Large photos 1. Comments 4. Posted 9 September 2007.
One of the great things about this website (that sounds egotistical, but I shall continue) is the amount of feedback I receive from visitors. Most leave memories of their times at the places I visit. Some leave compliments. And very very rarely I get tip-offs about locations. "Steve" left one such comment regarding RAF Bodney and sent a photo of the control tower there. I had a spare morning so decided to visit...
RAF Oakington
Where? Oakington, Cambridgeshire. Photos 57. Comments 48. Posted 23 August 2006.
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...
RAF Shepherds Grove
Where? Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Photos 69. Comments 32. Posted 12 August 2006.
RAF Shepherds Grove is located on the outskirts of the sleepy Suffolk village of Stanton. It was built during WW2 as an airfield for bombers. During the Cold War in the 1950's the USAF took over and based jet fighters there. When the jet fighters left, part of the base was used as a launch site for Thor nuclear missles.
The site closed in 1966 and some of the base is now an industrial estate.
RAF Stenigot
Where? Lincolnshire. Photos 15. Comments 2. Posted 15 June 2007.
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.
RAF Upwood
Where? Huntingdonshire. Photos 67. Comments 32. Posted 6 May 2007.
RAF Upwood opened in 1917 as a satellite field for RAF Elmswell. Shortly after opening, a few hangars and buildings were built. It closed in 1919. During the RAF expansion period in the mid 1930s the airfield was expanded drastically. Five hangars were built, and around 100 other buildings of varying sizes. The base finally closed in 1995. Wikipedia has a lot more info about the base.
The last twelve years haven't been kind to the base. It has suffered badly at the hands of vandals. The hangars are in use by a turbine company and are inaccessible. The rest of the buildings are totally gutted, and used occassionally by "airsofters" (people with guns and small balls).
RAF Watton
Where? Watton, Norfolk. Photos 45. Comments 29. Posted 12 August 2006.
RAF Watton closed in 1991 and sold in 1998. The residential areas were sold for residential use; and most of the technical buildings have been demolished, ie control towers, water towers, boiler rooms etc.
Four hangars remain and what is thought to be an old armoury. Everything was stupidly trashed though - that didn't deter us from the explore..
RAF Watton revisited
Where? Watton, Norfolk. Large photos 23. Comments 10. Posted 7 April 2007.
I was up in Norfolk recently so paid a quick re-visit to RAF Watton to try out my "new" camera. If anyone remembers my report from July, you will know that there were four hangars and a little building remaining. Well, that's changed slightly now...
[There are no thumbnails in this report, just medium-sized images]
RAF West Raynham
Where? Swaffham, Norfolk. Photos 55. Comments 207. Posted 23 August 2006.
RAF West Raynham is in Norfolk, near a town called Swaffham. It is seriously in the middle of nowhere, and was quite hard to find. It closed in 1994, and at the end of 2005 was put up for auction. There are loads of houses there and the local MP wants them to be used as residential housing again. This will be quite a task - 11 years of non-use have taken their toll.
I didn't really look round the housing areas, instead concentrating my trip on the cool military stuff. That said, I didn't manage to explore everything in the time I was there. There is a Bloodhound Missile launch site here (it was over the other side of the airfield) but I decided to leave when a scary dog started following me...
Rougham Airfield
Where? Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Photos 19. Comments 8. Posted 24 December 2006.
A few months ago I had a look around Rougham Hall. Whilst in the forest, we also saw some old WWII bomb stores. They weren't really very interesting - more like a little brick shed.
A lot of Rougham Airfield has been converted to an industrial estate. One of the hangars is now a warehouse. The control tower has been restored and is now a museum.
The interesting thing that remains is an underground battle HQ.
