RAF Upwood, 2019-2020

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

FunkyMuffin

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2017
Messages
316
Reaction score
431
Location
Bedfordshire
History:

RAF Upwood originated in September 1917 when the War Department requisitioned Hill Farm, then owned by Lord de Ramsey, for use as an Emergency Landing Ground. The airfield was later used as a Home Defence 1st Class Night Landing Ground for BE2 aircraft of 7 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. By the summer of 1918 permanent huts and five large hangars had been constructed and the site renamed Upwood Airfield. When World War I ended the airfield reverted to agricultural use with the buildings being salvaged by local farmers.

The Royal Air Force returned to Upwood Airfield in January 1937 with Squadrons 52 and 63. Squadrons 90 and 53, replaced them in February 1940 - their main goal to train RAF personnel for bombing missions. In September 1940, No.11 Beam Approach Training (BAT) Flight unit was formed with emphasis on bad weather and night flying training.

Three new concrete runways were constructed by October 1943, allowing the first of the Pathfinder Squadrons, No. 139 (Jamaica), to use the airfield the following January. From this time forward, Upwood Airfield was home to 139 Squadron equipped with Mosquitoes as well as 156 Squadron with Lancaster bombers.

At the end of the Second World War, 156 Squadron was relocated at Wyton whilst 139 Squadron remained at Upwood until February 1946. After this it was used as a training centre for some time and was later leased to the USAF. It officially closed in 1995.



The Explore:

We’ve been here a handful of times, having interesting conversations with various people along the way. After the second lockdown I was sad to see the place had finally been levelled to make way for the housing estate being built alongside it. I do have to admit, some days we visited it was a game of dodge the diggers. We’ve encountered quicksand where my boots almost remained to this day, pot smoking drone flyers, strange men (one having a naked photo shoot, the other giving us a history lesson on the place). The last day we visited we had the pleasure of meeting one of the graff artists at work on a new piece. I think I startled him as we noisily entered one of the buildings. I held my camera out and announced I was not an enemy. He nicely answered all my questions (and I had many) from the type of paint to technique and painting etiquette. I found it quite interesting and I have a new found respect for the effort that goes into the art they make.

On with the photos...



Upwood Hill house was built by a farm owner of the local land before the airfield was built. The house was used by the MOD for accommodation purposes.

850DEE11-774E-4526-9235-F7EFE15179E9.jpeg


7F703CEF-681F-4875-92F2-1C242DF3DB84.jpeg


EF8BB238-21F6-4526-8171-533DF590D727.jpeg


CC240126-7BF1-417F-9AEA-9A5CBF1C57EB.jpeg


EB409039-C9B2-45CD-A119-AB2B89AB2DE9.jpeg


F61259EE-DF9D-4417-A5BC-84B0F499DAB4.jpeg


FC0FBD21-25BF-4099-BB9F-F6F933215134.jpeg


F8EBFF7D-C4B3-4762-9869-D20B5F5EE50C.jpeg


DA86B262-7DC3-46F2-89CC-7B62AB2DC497.jpeg


10E1F6E2-7B7F-4A86-8A9B-01E48CA26172.jpeg



Exteriors/Interiors

3AF58585-4F6A-4C61-B66A-CC16FF89515C.jpeg


5F17BB7F-484D-40F1-9EA5-89F72E2EFB3E.jpeg


204131F6-0B9D-498A-9E0F-1EE6396499F8.jpeg


29F6C92F-27F4-47F3-B67A-CBEC8F7BFA44.jpeg


C024BA8E-E396-4AC6-B7D5-5FB5178A9940.jpeg


B725E05F-54EB-418D-8B5D-598A40D0B6D1.jpeg


FE617437-1092-4904-8008-2E36BA92A7ED.jpeg


5793D479-FE17-4128-B083-6BB2641C8D15.jpeg


9F4086D9-A02B-4958-A30F-8C3546EB4671.jpeg


82177743-3B13-464C-B6DF-2D525FF4E98A.jpeg


33F89D27-F02B-47F5-B1CA-326403E8FAFD.jpeg


39E4DE0A-5C64-4D27-91C5-89F649144D2B.jpeg


C23EAF7E-8F82-410B-A801-87039CD8F1DE.jpeg


72130870-962A-4565-AF94-14692C3443DA.jpeg


E354D101-2D14-4AF7-8D1D-186AB1142BCB.jpeg


C41CA88D-CB35-4BB2-94EC-EBA8FAECC746.jpeg


A8EB32D3-5A33-4D52-88F2-7E47F28D8757.jpeg


90D26307-D96A-4D29-8169-EFD6D5C4BB63.jpeg


4F7C42B7-F508-4C54-BA40-A61161E8CD87.jpeg


FFF87879-B48F-46D0-8C53-FBBE5D5CB5D2.jpeg


A89C04FD-8920-462E-AA23-09915F58952F.jpeg




The graff

CB33BF59-45FD-4177-95CD-0E195460D972.jpeg


670E57F4-39CA-4557-AF13-85595B9DC39B.jpeg


BA5C5423-352E-44C3-8800-071B63A421EA.jpeg


C3402930-FAA9-443C-91A2-797F618CA810.jpeg


E150F045-A373-4775-88F4-C4F97645E9D5.jpeg


660CFA47-34B6-4D94-866B-529D4CD6F76B.jpeg


9B997806-BB10-4E8D-AA14-8F23E5B157D0.jpeg


18F80DDF-2408-4C9B-8827-4D7AFC35EA46.jpeg


F152210A-FBA3-465B-A037-F815A5FDCD1F.jpeg


7F0FEA8A-7442-47E2-97DF-FE48618651D0.jpeg


20E3FFED-72D6-4F8B-9CBE-B54AE9171FAD.jpeg


99729C7B-F7C2-4F5F-893F-7BE3B2A4D97C.jpeg


7C0EDD59-B07F-4E9D-A0E0-FE99C602496D.jpeg


41332E57-DD42-42F8-9323-5D1E70157552.jpeg


CF7EB35D-E9FA-46BC-81D3-4EC01E9549FC.jpeg


1AD37B88-14FF-460D-A116-7EF39874BF31.jpeg



Thanks for looking
 
You've got some beautiful photos, I see a lot more drawings have been added since I was last there in 2017. At the time they were pulling the medical unit down, has anything else been taken down? Is the tower and the tanks still there? My group climbed up to the top of the tower by rope lol while my younger ones got their photo shoots on the tanks. I do miss that place, its the one place we always returned to.
Now that I live in the North there doesn't seem to be anything left for any explores.
 
You've got some beautiful photos, I see a lot more drawings have been added since I was last there in 2017. At the time they were pulling the medical unit down, has anything else been taken down? Is the tower and the tanks still there? My group climbed up to the top of the tower by rope lol while my younger ones got their photo shoots on the tanks. I do miss that place, its the one place we always returned to.
Now that I live in the North there doesn't seem to be anything left for any explores.
Thank you ☺️
Unfortunately the entire place has been completely leveled so I've been told. I did see one of the water towers on a visit there but it was inaccessible and I didn't have a rope. 😂
I loved seeing the ever changing art at Upwood and I miss it as well. Not much for explores down south either I'm afraid.
 
History:

RAF Upwood originated in September 1917 when the War Department requisitioned Hill Farm, then owned by Lord de Ramsey, for use as an Emergency Landing Ground. The airfield was later used as a Home Defence 1st Class Night Landing Ground for BE2 aircraft of 7 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. By the summer of 1918 permanent huts and five large hangars had been constructed and the site renamed Upwood Airfield. When World War I ended the airfield reverted to agricultural use with the buildings being salvaged by local farmers.

The Royal Air Force returned to Upwood Airfield in January 1937 with Squadrons 52 and 63. Squadrons 90 and 53, replaced them in February 1940 - their main goal to train RAF personnel for bombing missions. In September 1940, No.11 Beam Approach Training (BAT) Flight unit was formed with emphasis on bad weather and night flying training.

Three new concrete runways were constructed by October 1943, allowing the first of the Pathfinder Squadrons, No. 139 (Jamaica), to use the airfield the following January. From this time forward, Upwood Airfield was home to 139 Squadron equipped with Mosquitoes as well as 156 Squadron with Lancaster bombers.

At the end of the Second World War, 156 Squadron was relocated at Wyton whilst 139 Squadron remained at Upwood until February 1946. After this it was used as a training centre for some time and was later leased to the USAF. It officially closed in 1995.



The Explore:

We’ve been here a handful of times, having interesting conversations with various people along the way. After the second lockdown I was sad to see the place had finally been levelled to make way for the housing estate being built alongside it. I do have to admit, some days we visited it was a game of dodge the diggers. We’ve encountered quicksand where my boots almost remained to this day, pot smoking drone flyers, strange men (one having a naked photo shoot, the other giving us a history lesson on the place). The last day we visited we had the pleasure of meeting one of the graff artists at work on a new piece. I think I startled him as we noisily entered one of the buildings. I held my camera out and announced I was not an enemy. He nicely answered all my questions (and I had many) from the type of paint to technique and painting etiquette. I found it quite interesting and I have a new found respect for the effort that goes into the art they make.

On with the photos...



Upwood Hill house was built by a farm owner of the local land before the airfield was built. The house was used by the MOD for accommodation purposes.

View attachment 507137

View attachment 507138

View attachment 507139

View attachment 507140

View attachment 507141

View attachment 507142

View attachment 507143

View attachment 507144

View attachment 507145

View attachment 507146


Exteriors/Interiors

View attachment 507148

View attachment 507147

View attachment 507149

View attachment 507150

View attachment 507151

View attachment 507152

View attachment 507153

View attachment 507154

View attachment 507156

View attachment 507157

View attachment 507158

View attachment 507159

View attachment 507160

View attachment 507161

View attachment 507162

View attachment 507163

View attachment 507164

View attachment 507165

View attachment 507166

View attachment 507167

View attachment 507169



The graff

View attachment 507170

View attachment 507171

View attachment 507172

View attachment 507173

View attachment 507174

View attachment 507175

View attachment 507176

View attachment 507177

View attachment 507178

View attachment 507179

View attachment 507180

View attachment 507181

View attachment 507182

View attachment 507183

View attachment 507184

View attachment 507185


Thanks for looking
 
Back
Top