Charmy Down

[Another Number]

Is there anything left of this rotor station, even though it wasn't finished?

[sgtgrech]

Hi another number,
There are five rotor radar housings,some plinths & what looks like a generator room.
I have some pictures somewhere, I will dig them out & post them on here very soon.

[Another Number]

Thanks John, I'm really curious about this rotor site now, just interested to find out how much was built and what's left. i wonder why ot was not completed.

[sgtgrech]

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Here are a few pictures that I took of the rotor radar station back in 2008. I apologize for the lack of quality as my camera back then was a basic point & shoot.

[REF]

Interesting photos John, was there part of the structure underground?

[Carnaby]

I wonder why it was not completed.

In April 1955 GCI stations Charmy Down and Calmo were deleted from the Rotor Plan due to a simplification in Air Defence Policy which had been designed in 1951. It was now believed that a conflict would be a 'three-day' war involving 'area-effect' hydrogen bombs. The exact reasons were quite complex. £400K had been spent already at these two sites and there was a possibility that two more GCI stations might be cancelled with a total loss of £1M.

Source: 'Watching the Skies' Jack Gough, HMSO.

OT but where is Calmo?

[sgtgrech]

Not as far as I know. But this is all that remains. I haven't got much of a clue as to what it would have looked like when completed.

[Carnaby]

OT but where is Calmo?

I suspect this is Calvo, near Silloth (the author also spells Charmy as Charmey !)

New Thread

[Kev Lloyd-Jones]

The G.C.I Station at Charmy down was situated on a disused World War II airfield 2 miles north of Bath, and was designated a Readiness G.C.I station, and was not given a high priority in the ROTOR funding schedule. Work started on its construction in May 1953, but progressed slowly and the station was still incomplete when it was abandoned in April 1955 after some £200,000 had been spent on it.

Aerial photographs indicate that at least the shells of the buildings had been complected, and the existence of cable trenches between the radar heads suggests that preliminary fitting-out had been started. there is no evidence however, that the seven radar heads earmarked for the Charmy Down site were ever installed or that any of the electronic equipment was installed in the R8 operations block. the radars were 4 Type 13 Height Finders, 2 Type 14 Search Radars and 1 Type 11.

Nothing remains of the lightweight 'SECO' prefabricated Operations building other than the overgrown large slab of concrete with numerous drain holes and cable ducts. Five red brick radar plinths remain, surmounted by a stell-girder turntable bases, together with a raised platform for a mobile radar and powerhouse building, which is stripped bare of all its equipment.

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Type 13 Radar Plinth

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This would of been the rear of the R8 operations block, the raised section to the rear is the 'radar office' and 'radar workshop' with with an equipment and plant ramp to the side. The air conditioning plant room was to the right of the raised platform.

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Aerial Shot of RAf Charmy Down with the main features labelled.

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This is how the The Standby Power House and Guardroom would of looked like.This is photograph is of RAF Hartland Point in Devon.This site has also been demolished by a radar still exists on the operations site run by CAA.

[sgtgrech]

Watch Office For
Night Fighter Stations FCW4514
At Charmy Down. January 2010.

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