RAF CHILMARK ammunition store and underground, wiltshire sept 2010

[javamidge]

Excellent pics

I worked RAF Chilmark for a couple of years until it's closure. There are number of other mine workings on the other side of the of the road from the ammo store. They are behind the main admin building and appear to be just holes in the bank but if you go in they extend under the perimeter fence and out under the surrounding field. I spent many a lunchtime exploring these armed with only a torch. They are supposed to date from medieval times and used to supply stone for nearby Salisbury Cathedral. They certainly appeared to be very old and were considered unsafe with evidence of collapse in some places.

 

[Grockle]

very good shots, thanks for sharing

 

[tommo]

I worked RAF Chilmark for a couple of years until it's closure. There are number of other mine workings on the other side of the of the road from the ammo store. They are behind the main admin building and appear to be just holes in the bank but if you go in they extend under the perimeter fence and out under the surrounding field. I spent many a lunchtime exploring these armed with only a torch. They are supposed to date from medieval times and used to supply stone for nearby Salisbury Cathedral. They certainly appeared to be very old and were considered unsafe with evidence of collapse in some places.

thank u javamidge, we have a map for the other side of the roads, the other workings but as yet no one has been in and to be fair they have just started to quarry there again in the last month so i cant see us getting the chance as the moment, plus with the explosives school next door it wasnt worth the hastle

as for chilmark did u ever have anything to to with the "dinton and baverstock" side of RAF chilmark, again this place looks great but has been taken over by a number of companies and none will return emails, but that alone even thougth its only above ground explore the bunkers and stores look great

 

[javamidge]

Unfortunately I was based in the garage site behind the main admin building. I did visit the Baverstock site on the odd occasion but cannot remember too much about it. I remember there was a shot blasting and painting shop on the site to the right of the road. The left side was mainly large sheds or hangers with racks of spare parts. Sadly the site was already running down towards closure when I worked at Chilmark. I do remember a pond on the left site and I believe Navy divers were brought in to check what was in there. There were rumours of a land rover having been sunk in there but the only items discovered were old railway signal batteries.

I visited the Ladydown site more frequently as we used to service the trollies the bombs were transported on. There were many bunkers on this site and this was where the bombs were stored and dismantled and serviced on a regular basis. I remember there was a tower just inside the entrance where the MOD fire brigade used to train.

The Ham Cross Rail site was more familiar territory. There were two full size diesel shunters in addition to the narrow gauge railway. At the time the full size rail track extended onto the main Exeter Waterloo line and it would have been possible to transport bombs etc via this route. However, this never happened during my time there. I remember being on site when they removed one of the large engines. They basically made up a ramp with rails on and drove it onto the back of a low loader. Very dangerous but it went off without any dramas.

By the side of the Police Office there used to be a cemetery for all the police dogs but I believe this has been removed.

Thanks again for your photographs and sorry I couldn't have given you more information.

 

[tommo]

no thank u for the info its been great to find some new stuff out and chat to some one that worked there

the fire brigade training place we found and it looks like a smoke room , where they go in and find there way round in bad conditions

just before it there is a small house type building, with showers and extraction, looks like air locks and filters and we guested this must be a decontamination room where they must of been playing with the mustard gas or similar, but defo a gas room of some kind

got some great maps with building numbers on as well as each building being numbered but just ned to find a key to what each building was for, hopefully will trip over one, one day