Hello there peoples
I haven’t been able to get up to much since my little trip up north as things have been a bit complicated, say no more, but I did manage a little snoop around the Norfolk former RAF Coltishall base.
I’m not into conspiracy theories as it’s easy to see something that isn’t there if you want to, but if it looks and smells like a turd then it probably is. There’s a few dodgy dealings going on about the future of this historic site, and it involves some greedy folks at Norfolk County Council (NCC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). To keep it brief, the MoD owned the site when it was in use, but after its closure the MoJ took over its ownership.
All the locals who now live on the former base in the old barracks plus English Heritage and the Spirit of Coltishall Association which are a group of ex-service personal all want the MoJ to sell the site to the Hans House Group of property developers for preservation. Hans House want to save the historic buildings such as the massive WW11 hangers and the many art deco features such as the control tower, boiler room and fire station and turn the area into a heritage center with a working airport where light aircraft can once more make use of the historic runway and solar panels will be placed in various positions to provide electricity.
This is what everybody wants and seems the best use of the site as now some of the buildings have thankfully been listed. But NCC has its own “ideas” and won’t share them with ANYBODY. There are some back hander's definitely going on between them and the MoJ. The MoJ and NCC have refused to give any details about NCC offers for the site or future plans....in fact they have refused to disclose any details even though a Freedom of Information Request has been made by the many objecting parties. Speaking to four different locals whilst I was mooching about, fat cats at NCC want to dig up the runway and turn the site into a wind farm and agricultural land. Now, some of the thieving scum at NCC (sue me I have jack sh#t) have their dirty fat fingers fully wedged into “other schemes” which obviously show a definite conflict of interest, eg; wind farms and agriculture:icon_evil
So the locals are trying to get to the bottom of this “insider trading” and expose who has vested interests in what, to explain why a perfectly decent offer by a property developer who has the sites best interests at heart is being ignored and the preferred choice is trashing the place and disrespecting the wishes of the former service personal who lived and died for the place.
I feel rather bitter about this for several reasons.....such as the heroes who once lived on the base have had their opinions swept away by spineless burocrats who only have profits on their mind..... and I’m just totally fed up with dictators with “power” and “its all about who you know” just ripping the piss out of people who haven’t got the same connections and can’t beat the corruption. So I hope the right thing gets done and planes can once more take off from the base, the sites buildings are saved and the history of RAF Coltishall is not forgotten.
So now for a little history.....
Work on RAF Coltishall began in 1939 when the airfield, built as a bomber base, was then known as Scottow Aerodrome. Following the established tradition of naming RAF bases after their nearest local railway station, which would have made it "RAF Buxton", but to avoid possible confusion with the town of Buxton in Derbyshire, it was named after the local village of Coltishall. The airfield was completed and entered service in May 1940 as a fighter base. The first aircraft movement at Coltishall was a Bristol Blenheim IV L7835. During WWII Hurricanes, Spitfighters and night fighter aircraft operated from the base, and by the end of the war the base was briefly given over to Polish squadrons until they returned home.
During the 1950’s the base was a designated “V-Bomber dispersal base”. Post war the station was home to a variety of units and aircraft including de Havilland Mosquitoes, Gloster Javelins, English Electric Lightnings and - from 1963 - the "Historic Aircraft Flight" (now known as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight). The last Lightnings left Coltishall in 1974, and were replaced by the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar. The first Jaguar squadron, No. 54Squadron RAF arrived at Coltishall on 8 August 1974.
Coltishall eventually became the last surviving operational RAF airbase involved in the Battle of Britain, and a visible remnant in the form of a Second World War revetment still stands on the North-West taxiway.
In November 2006, RAF Coltishall was officially handed over to Defence Estates, which are the MoD agency responsible for all UK Military sites that handle the disposal of the site, and will be formally known as MoD Coltishall until its ultimate disposal.
In January 2009, a plan to build a Category C prison to hold up to 500 male sex offenders at the site was approved by North Norfolk District Council. The entire site is now under the temporary control of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and redevelopment of the former H-block barracks into prison wings started in October 2009.
When I visited the site I walked around the former military houses of RAF Coltishall. These now form a small civilian housing estate, and after chatting with some of the locals they say how proud they are to be living in such historic surroundings.
The prison, named HMP Bure after a nearby river is now fully operational with a new access road built. The locals living right next door to the H-blocks say they don’t really mind having the jail there, as it’s not your “typical prison” they said, there’s not much activity or noise as the inmates don’t get many visitors.
The officers Mess. These buildings are in excellent condition and like all of the other buildings on the base they had not suffered from any vandalism or thefts which made a pleasant change (but also made it very hard for me to explore the insides!....if i hadn’t been alone i wud have been up for a little climb, maybe!...but not on me own ive used all me 9 lives!)
I wont tell.
The entrance into HMP Bure
Foreign Object Debris warning
I don’t know what happened in these metal structures but it must have been noisy as they have thick blast doors.
One of the many blast walls, this one has a little blue shed attached to it, maybe as there is an engine testing facility next to it so it may be to do with that.
Phone outside blast wall
There are a dozen or so original blast walls
runway with blast walls
I know you folks into your military sites will know the proper name for one of these watch tower / control tower type structures, forgive me for i am of feeble mind.
I don’t know what that thing on the right is called either, like a mini pill box, but it looks like its shouting at that portacabin don’t it!?
Some kind of engine testing apparatus in between two blast walls
Looks like a system of exhaust pipes
I hid inside it, as ya do, when sec speed up the runway, i thought id been rumbled, but for once i had got away wiv it so i had a little giggle to me self, as ya do, whilst i was crunched up trying to hide under me tripod, its at these moments you have a sudden realisation that yes things aren’t all that well in ya head....plus, i must learn how to merge me bracketed shots!
The other end of the testing thingy
The outside of the testing apparatus, the inside of this long rectangular chamber is the shot before.
The runway in the foreground, another blast wall to the left with the top of the white art deco control tower in the center in front of the enormous aircraft hangers.
Control tower
Telecommunications room beneath control tower
Lots of wires, as u wud expect in a telecomms
Up into the control room
I had to keep ducking down whilst in here as I could be easily be seen cause prison officers and sec who were walking and driving about....it got pretty tiring!
Doorway into one of the hangers, which I couldn’t get into but could see through a gap, no planes but I’d heard that there is some interesting graffiti written by WWII pilots on some of the walls.
Art deco fire station building
Hangers to left, art deco brick boiler house to right
If the dogs don’t get ya they send in the bees
Planes entrance into one of the huge hangers
Front of hanger
Squadron badges on hanger
The station motto was Aggressive in Defence. The station crest is a stone tower surmounted by a mailed fist grasping three bind bolts (arrows), which symbolised a position of strength in defence of the homeland, indicative of the aggressive spirit which Coltishall fighter aircraft were prepared to shoot down the enemy.
Another of the 3 massive aircraft hangers
The former barracks is now a small housing which has this memorial beneath the trees.
Its wording is as follows “Commemorating the only Battle of Britain Station to have remained a fighter station throughout its 66 year history and the personnel who served here many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice”
Thanks for lookin peeps, hope u found some of it interesting
Laters everyone
I haven’t been able to get up to much since my little trip up north as things have been a bit complicated, say no more, but I did manage a little snoop around the Norfolk former RAF Coltishall base.
I’m not into conspiracy theories as it’s easy to see something that isn’t there if you want to, but if it looks and smells like a turd then it probably is. There’s a few dodgy dealings going on about the future of this historic site, and it involves some greedy folks at Norfolk County Council (NCC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). To keep it brief, the MoD owned the site when it was in use, but after its closure the MoJ took over its ownership.
All the locals who now live on the former base in the old barracks plus English Heritage and the Spirit of Coltishall Association which are a group of ex-service personal all want the MoJ to sell the site to the Hans House Group of property developers for preservation. Hans House want to save the historic buildings such as the massive WW11 hangers and the many art deco features such as the control tower, boiler room and fire station and turn the area into a heritage center with a working airport where light aircraft can once more make use of the historic runway and solar panels will be placed in various positions to provide electricity.
This is what everybody wants and seems the best use of the site as now some of the buildings have thankfully been listed. But NCC has its own “ideas” and won’t share them with ANYBODY. There are some back hander's definitely going on between them and the MoJ. The MoJ and NCC have refused to give any details about NCC offers for the site or future plans....in fact they have refused to disclose any details even though a Freedom of Information Request has been made by the many objecting parties. Speaking to four different locals whilst I was mooching about, fat cats at NCC want to dig up the runway and turn the site into a wind farm and agricultural land. Now, some of the thieving scum at NCC (sue me I have jack sh#t) have their dirty fat fingers fully wedged into “other schemes” which obviously show a definite conflict of interest, eg; wind farms and agriculture:icon_evilSo the locals are trying to get to the bottom of this “insider trading” and expose who has vested interests in what, to explain why a perfectly decent offer by a property developer who has the sites best interests at heart is being ignored and the preferred choice is trashing the place and disrespecting the wishes of the former service personal who lived and died for the place.
I feel rather bitter about this for several reasons.....such as the heroes who once lived on the base have had their opinions swept away by spineless burocrats who only have profits on their mind..... and I’m just totally fed up with dictators with “power” and “its all about who you know” just ripping the piss out of people who haven’t got the same connections and can’t beat the corruption. So I hope the right thing gets done and planes can once more take off from the base, the sites buildings are saved and the history of RAF Coltishall is not forgotten.
So now for a little history.....
Work on RAF Coltishall began in 1939 when the airfield, built as a bomber base, was then known as Scottow Aerodrome. Following the established tradition of naming RAF bases after their nearest local railway station, which would have made it "RAF Buxton", but to avoid possible confusion with the town of Buxton in Derbyshire, it was named after the local village of Coltishall. The airfield was completed and entered service in May 1940 as a fighter base. The first aircraft movement at Coltishall was a Bristol Blenheim IV L7835. During WWII Hurricanes, Spitfighters and night fighter aircraft operated from the base, and by the end of the war the base was briefly given over to Polish squadrons until they returned home.
During the 1950’s the base was a designated “V-Bomber dispersal base”. Post war the station was home to a variety of units and aircraft including de Havilland Mosquitoes, Gloster Javelins, English Electric Lightnings and - from 1963 - the "Historic Aircraft Flight" (now known as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight). The last Lightnings left Coltishall in 1974, and were replaced by the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar. The first Jaguar squadron, No. 54Squadron RAF arrived at Coltishall on 8 August 1974.
Coltishall eventually became the last surviving operational RAF airbase involved in the Battle of Britain, and a visible remnant in the form of a Second World War revetment still stands on the North-West taxiway.
In November 2006, RAF Coltishall was officially handed over to Defence Estates, which are the MoD agency responsible for all UK Military sites that handle the disposal of the site, and will be formally known as MoD Coltishall until its ultimate disposal.
In January 2009, a plan to build a Category C prison to hold up to 500 male sex offenders at the site was approved by North Norfolk District Council. The entire site is now under the temporary control of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and redevelopment of the former H-block barracks into prison wings started in October 2009.
When I visited the site I walked around the former military houses of RAF Coltishall. These now form a small civilian housing estate, and after chatting with some of the locals they say how proud they are to be living in such historic surroundings.
The prison, named HMP Bure after a nearby river is now fully operational with a new access road built. The locals living right next door to the H-blocks say they don’t really mind having the jail there, as it’s not your “typical prison” they said, there’s not much activity or noise as the inmates don’t get many visitors.
The officers Mess. These buildings are in excellent condition and like all of the other buildings on the base they had not suffered from any vandalism or thefts which made a pleasant change (but also made it very hard for me to explore the insides!....if i hadn’t been alone i wud have been up for a little climb, maybe!...but not on me own ive used all me 9 lives!)
I wont tell.
The entrance into HMP Bure
Foreign Object Debris warning
I don’t know what happened in these metal structures but it must have been noisy as they have thick blast doors.
One of the many blast walls, this one has a little blue shed attached to it, maybe as there is an engine testing facility next to it so it may be to do with that.
Phone outside blast wall
There are a dozen or so original blast walls
runway with blast walls
I know you folks into your military sites will know the proper name for one of these watch tower / control tower type structures, forgive me for i am of feeble mind.
I don’t know what that thing on the right is called either, like a mini pill box, but it looks like its shouting at that portacabin don’t it!?
Some kind of engine testing apparatus in between two blast walls
Looks like a system of exhaust pipes
I hid inside it, as ya do, when sec speed up the runway, i thought id been rumbled, but for once i had got away wiv it so i had a little giggle to me self, as ya do, whilst i was crunched up trying to hide under me tripod, its at these moments you have a sudden realisation that yes things aren’t all that well in ya head....plus, i must learn how to merge me bracketed shots!
The other end of the testing thingy
The outside of the testing apparatus, the inside of this long rectangular chamber is the shot before.
The runway in the foreground, another blast wall to the left with the top of the white art deco control tower in the center in front of the enormous aircraft hangers.
Control tower
Telecommunications room beneath control tower
Lots of wires, as u wud expect in a telecomms
Up into the control room
I had to keep ducking down whilst in here as I could be easily be seen cause prison officers and sec who were walking and driving about....it got pretty tiring!
Doorway into one of the hangers, which I couldn’t get into but could see through a gap, no planes but I’d heard that there is some interesting graffiti written by WWII pilots on some of the walls.
Art deco fire station building
Hangers to left, art deco brick boiler house to right
If the dogs don’t get ya they send in the bees
Planes entrance into one of the huge hangers
Front of hanger
Squadron badges on hanger
The station motto was Aggressive in Defence. The station crest is a stone tower surmounted by a mailed fist grasping three bind bolts (arrows), which symbolised a position of strength in defence of the homeland, indicative of the aggressive spirit which Coltishall fighter aircraft were prepared to shoot down the enemy.
Another of the 3 massive aircraft hangers
The former barracks is now a small housing which has this memorial beneath the trees.
Its wording is as follows “Commemorating the only Battle of Britain Station to have remained a fighter station throughout its 66 year history and the personnel who served here many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice”
Thanks for lookin peeps, hope u found some of it interesting
Laters everyone
