Most Complete Airfield

What in your opinion is the most complete disused WWII airfield still extant, in terms of runways, hangars, buildings and other paraphenalia etc, ??

I'd go for the former Royal Naval Air station at Crail( HMS Jackdaw) as one of the best I've visited thats completley disused.

Granite;29153 wrote:

I'd go for the former Royal Naval Air station at Crail( HMS Jackdaw) as one of the best I've visited thats completley disused.

Strangely I read the first post and immediately the word 'Crail' entered my mind. I then read the above (second) post.

Graham

RAF West Raynham is considered to be the best - so much so that English Heritage recommended blanket listing of most of the buildings, but the MoD protested claiming it had Top Secret plans for the site.

When I mean Top Secret plans I mean they planned to sell the site and statutory protection is the best way to scupper efforts to market any site. The MoD say that the Royal Navy were to move onto the site, but I was told by one developer that he was invited to look over the site sooner after it closed and prior to the Thematic Survey into Military Airfields conducted by English Heritage.

RAF Newton and RAF Kirton on Lindsey are almost complete. RAF Driffield lacks its control tower and water tower and a few minor buildings. Not worried about the runways being removed a few years ago, because the aerodrome started out as an all grass landing field.

RAF Bicester is also considered to be exceptional – so much so that English Heritage secured statutory protection for most of the buildings while the site is also a conservation area. This makes it impossible for the MoD to sell the site on to developers. The future for the site will be an interesting one. If no one is interested in buying the site, and if the MoD have no money to look after the buildings, no amount of statutory protection will protect this site, nor indeed any other.

The villains of the peace must be the likes of Strawsons Property, who own Driffield and Upwood. Yet they are seen as model developers by the MoD and the house building industry. They buy these sites – remove all the structures (claiming that these sites have no history attached to them) and then build hundreds of cheaply built houses. Unless you can quantify the historical importance of an aerodrome every site mentioned above and others too are under threat, including Scampton.

Shame about Swinderby, but with an apathetic population what can you do?, apart from bitch about the futility of it all or put down those who voice their concerns. What price our aerodrome heritage?*

*around £100k per acre (plus), I reckon...

Hullavingtom still very complete and maintains its period charm. Apart from VGS and very occasional GA, is dissused as an airfield, but camp in Army control.

little rissington would be a contender
also dunkeswell with all buildings and hangars in use as commercial
premises
andrew

How about the former RNAS Arbroath?

Preserved "as it was" by becoming a Royal Marines base.

Still got the carrier deck markings on the runways, apparently.

Maybe sounds daft ...but North Killingholme is in really good nick, all the hangars /runways and quite a few of the buildings still survive , compared to some of the others in Bomber County...

RAF Coltish all must be a contender, after all, it was the last to close!