After finding posts and photos on this website regarding the BBC Tatsfield Receiving Station, I realise that I have become part of the Derelict Places history. As I started work there when I was 19 years of age in 1966, leaving in 1969, I am likely to be one of the few people left alive who could give any personal account of day-to-day life there. A gentleman named Steven Connelly, who was considering writing a book, posted on this website that he had sent a FOI dated 26 January 2009 to the BBC asking whether there were any accounts of life at Tatsfield written or recorded by BBC staff members either living or deceased. The BBC replied on 26 January 2010 that they do not hold any unpublished accounts of life at Tatsfield by BBC staff members. I assume too much time has elapsed to contact him now and I can only respond on this website. I realise that there are Engineering documents and internal records relating to Tatsfield in the archives but I hope I can help by contributing a personal account here.
After a job interview with Mr L G Shuttleworth, the Engineer in Charge, I was employed in a clerical/shorthand typist position in the office. This meant a good increase in my salary and, living in Biggin Hill, I was able to walk three miles or so to work through hilly country lanes and across several deserted fields. Back then I was proud to gain employment with the good old BBC.
The Receiving Station was located down the narrow Beddlestead Lane and high in the countryside of the North Downs so the views were beautiful. On a clear day St Paul's Cathedral in London about 20 miles away could be seen in the distance. The main building which housed the control room, several smaller monitoring rooms, a workshop/laboratory and a kitchen/canteen were separate from the offices. These were accessed from the car park where the path led down under a rose arch, then was flanked by neat flower borders. Everything was kept neat and tidy. In winter the snow drifting was always bad. One winter it was so deep that the staff had to walk on the snow on top of the hedges to get into work.
There were four bright and cheerful offices all linked together. The main entrance to the offices, where the EiC's secretary Angela and I worked led into the EiC's office. The opposite side from the main office led to the Wages Office where Sheila the Wages Clerk and Sylvia inscribed the foreign jamming on daily band scanning charts sat. It then led on to Mr Martingell, the Assistant EiC's office. There were about 65 staff working at Tatsfield, including three shifts, a maintenance team, two gardener/labourers and four office girls. A little bus would bring some of the shift workers in from around the Croydon area. They were happy staff and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in beautiful surroundings.
The day usually started in the kitchen where we had freshly baked scones and coffee. It wouldn't be long before a morning coffee break in the canteen and then lunch with home cooked dinners. There was always much noise and hilarity. Lunch times could also be spent with a walk in the countryside, an occasional trip to the clothes shop in Oxsted, but usually the girls made a visit to Bill Bellamy in the workshop who would welcome us in and jest saying 'come in, sit down and get your clothes off' before offering us chocolates. It was a different world then and probably a sacking offence these days. I had also met a young man at a party who worked in BBC Salaries in London so I was able to use the internal line to speak to him at lunch time. Then there was afternoon tea in the canteen and the EiC would have a silver tray of tea or coffee brought over by Ernie or Bunny wearing their white overalls.
My main duty was to keep the shortwave book updated, but first thing in the morning I would collect the night shift reports from the SME in the main building and walk through the control room where the BBC World Service theme Lilliburlero would be playing. I would also cover holiday and any sickness leave for Angela, the secretary. A daily report was dictated by the EiC, typed out on Angela's 'electric' typewriter and rolled off on a Banda machine to be sent to BH. Words that will forever stay in my head are HF Observations, C.A.U., Radio Free Europe, parasitic radiations, BBC Senders, spurious emissions, ssb, Propagation Reports, kHz and MHz. Sometimes we would receive a call from BH for a VoA relay.
Tatsfield also monitored the pirate radio stations Radio Caroline, Radio Esssex and Radio London. The girls in the office had the radio on all day and were instructed to make notes of all the advertisers that used the pirate stations. Although my maths was not too good, I eventually had a promotion to Wages Clerk when Sheila left. I remember Fridays being the bank run day when the EiC and A/EiC drove down to Oxsted to do the banking.
The days at Tatsfield were full of fun for everyone. The girls in the office were always laughing and they were good days. There was always something going on and I remember various sagas, the missing clock from the canteen, the cow that appeared next to the office that was chased through the fields, the policeman who nobody knew why would turn up, to check the Russians hadn't taken over, or just for a cup of tea and the man trapped under the tractor. We also amused ourselves by taking down notes in shorthand of what people said unbeknown to them and typed the notes out in peals of laughter. We were young and the men loved to flirt with us. Those were different times that will sadly never be seen again. Staff felt safe, protected and happy.
These are just a few of the other names I remember from so long ago, Ray, Noddy, Mr Penfold, Mr Money, Mr Trenholme, Mr Atfield, George, Mr Daly, Alan Jones, Mr Trenholme, Lew Hassall, Pam, Harold, Mr Dobson, Cyril.
I have a few more photos, but they are only old transparencies so I am unable to post them.
After a job interview with Mr L G Shuttleworth, the Engineer in Charge, I was employed in a clerical/shorthand typist position in the office. This meant a good increase in my salary and, living in Biggin Hill, I was able to walk three miles or so to work through hilly country lanes and across several deserted fields. Back then I was proud to gain employment with the good old BBC.
The Receiving Station was located down the narrow Beddlestead Lane and high in the countryside of the North Downs so the views were beautiful. On a clear day St Paul's Cathedral in London about 20 miles away could be seen in the distance. The main building which housed the control room, several smaller monitoring rooms, a workshop/laboratory and a kitchen/canteen were separate from the offices. These were accessed from the car park where the path led down under a rose arch, then was flanked by neat flower borders. Everything was kept neat and tidy. In winter the snow drifting was always bad. One winter it was so deep that the staff had to walk on the snow on top of the hedges to get into work.
There were four bright and cheerful offices all linked together. The main entrance to the offices, where the EiC's secretary Angela and I worked led into the EiC's office. The opposite side from the main office led to the Wages Office where Sheila the Wages Clerk and Sylvia inscribed the foreign jamming on daily band scanning charts sat. It then led on to Mr Martingell, the Assistant EiC's office. There were about 65 staff working at Tatsfield, including three shifts, a maintenance team, two gardener/labourers and four office girls. A little bus would bring some of the shift workers in from around the Croydon area. They were happy staff and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in beautiful surroundings.
The day usually started in the kitchen where we had freshly baked scones and coffee. It wouldn't be long before a morning coffee break in the canteen and then lunch with home cooked dinners. There was always much noise and hilarity. Lunch times could also be spent with a walk in the countryside, an occasional trip to the clothes shop in Oxsted, but usually the girls made a visit to Bill Bellamy in the workshop who would welcome us in and jest saying 'come in, sit down and get your clothes off' before offering us chocolates. It was a different world then and probably a sacking offence these days. I had also met a young man at a party who worked in BBC Salaries in London so I was able to use the internal line to speak to him at lunch time. Then there was afternoon tea in the canteen and the EiC would have a silver tray of tea or coffee brought over by Ernie or Bunny wearing their white overalls.
My main duty was to keep the shortwave book updated, but first thing in the morning I would collect the night shift reports from the SME in the main building and walk through the control room where the BBC World Service theme Lilliburlero would be playing. I would also cover holiday and any sickness leave for Angela, the secretary. A daily report was dictated by the EiC, typed out on Angela's 'electric' typewriter and rolled off on a Banda machine to be sent to BH. Words that will forever stay in my head are HF Observations, C.A.U., Radio Free Europe, parasitic radiations, BBC Senders, spurious emissions, ssb, Propagation Reports, kHz and MHz. Sometimes we would receive a call from BH for a VoA relay.
Tatsfield also monitored the pirate radio stations Radio Caroline, Radio Esssex and Radio London. The girls in the office had the radio on all day and were instructed to make notes of all the advertisers that used the pirate stations. Although my maths was not too good, I eventually had a promotion to Wages Clerk when Sheila left. I remember Fridays being the bank run day when the EiC and A/EiC drove down to Oxsted to do the banking.
The days at Tatsfield were full of fun for everyone. The girls in the office were always laughing and they were good days. There was always something going on and I remember various sagas, the missing clock from the canteen, the cow that appeared next to the office that was chased through the fields, the policeman who nobody knew why would turn up, to check the Russians hadn't taken over, or just for a cup of tea and the man trapped under the tractor. We also amused ourselves by taking down notes in shorthand of what people said unbeknown to them and typed the notes out in peals of laughter. We were young and the men loved to flirt with us. Those were different times that will sadly never be seen again. Staff felt safe, protected and happy.
These are just a few of the other names I remember from so long ago, Ray, Noddy, Mr Penfold, Mr Money, Mr Trenholme, Mr Atfield, George, Mr Daly, Alan Jones, Mr Trenholme, Lew Hassall, Pam, Harold, Mr Dobson, Cyril.
I have a few more photos, but they are only old transparencies so I am unable to post them.
