RAF Nuneaton Airfield

[Blackadder]

August 2010

[stevie]

Nice pic Blackadder.
An airfield i really want to have a look over. Don't think it's going to be easy to get permission to get on there unfortunatly due to it's present day usage.

ps MODS...Nuneaton Airfield is in Leicestershire by the way. Not Warwickshire

Steve

[Carnaby]

Nuneaton Airfield is in Leicestershire by the way. Not Warwickshire

You are correct. Strangely the resident MIRA gives its address as Watling Street, Warwickshire. Their main site is clearly north of the A5 - i.e. Leics.

Thread copied to appropriate county.

Graham

[stevie]

Thanks Graham.

As far as i'm aware there isn't a lot left of Nuneaton's wartime days still surviving although i'm happy to be proven wrong.

Aside from the Runways and Peri's which obviously the proving ground are still very much using i know the Control Tower still stands and is in use by MIRA (minus it's VCR which has now made it's way onto the top of Duxfords Tower).
The tower is visable from the surrounding countryside. Although much of the site isn't unfortunatly.

I think the T2 is still in use also (There was only ever one T2 at Nuneaton.) It was once used to house two wind tunnels. I've also noticed a windsock on the airfield as well and no doubt Helicopters and perhaps the occasional Cessna probably still fly from here from time to time.

It'd be great to hear from anybody who has managed to have a good explore of the airfield.

Cheers,
Steve

[Carnaby]

I note a base was provided for a second T2 - it remained unused. Paid a few brief visits to the site in the 80s, once to test a Ford Fiesta at -25 deg C in their cold chamber. Another was to collect a Lancia Thema which had been subjected to the most appalling environmental wet / dry / warm / cold conditions in a few weeks. Remember removing half-a-teaspoon of salt from an electronics box which wasn't sealed sufficiently.

The guys there told me that when the media get wind of something exciting being tested they congregate in a local pub car park with their 1,000mm lenses and tripods. Evidently it's the only good view of the site and is probably in Higham.

Graham

[stevie]

Thanks for that Graham.
The second T2 was never built. It was apparently supposed to be built in the north-west corner of the airfield. That pub car park in Higham On The Hill was my 'viewing area' as well by the way .

I'm going to see if it would be possible to visit the airfield to photo the tower. I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be 'NO!!' but nothing ventured nothing gained!

Steve

[WiganMick59]

I fear what little remains of RAF Nuneaton will soon be gone after reading the front page of todays Leicester Mercury:

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...l/article.html

Sad news for the few remaining WW2 buildings but 2000 jobs are desperately needed around here after Astra Zenica announced the closure of it's R and D section in Loughborough, putting 1300 people out of work.

MIRA currently based at the site hope to expand to an ultra modern complex with a planned investment of £250 million.


Mick

[stevie]

I doubt we'd ever have had the chance to get on there anyway. I might still give it a quick go before it's to late...Can't hurt to ask .

[Praesta]

... depending on my route the journey to and from work can take me past either Lichfield& Burnaston; Aldridge (Walsall - See WM thread) or Nuneaton. The MIRA offices adjacent to the A5 always look to me like they have been borrowed from a Type C Protected (8180/3. Maybe it's the brick colour or bond pattern I don't know. I'd love to have a look behind those towering Leylandi!

[Oliyj]

I stumbled across this page by accident but Being from nuneaton I'd like to point out that it is in warwickshire. We used to be part of Leicstershire a long while ago but now we are Part of warwickshire Hope this clears things up