Hucknall

[NJR]

Although taken a while ago I thought these views of the inside of Rolls Royce Hucknall may be of interest. Ordinarily public are not allowed access, however in June 2006 they opened the doors for a families day.

The main runway (2km) at Hucknall, constructed in the 1950s, looking West.



Belfast truss hangars viewed from the runway





Rolls-Royce test bed 11 which is located halfway along the main runway





Bellman hangar?



The former control tower, unsure of type.



Another original hangar, unsure of type.



Bricked up Belfast truss hangar

[Jerry]

Can somebody help, whats this?

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.017&l ... =0&src=msl

Thanks in advance.

Jerry

[REF]

On Noels site; http://oldairfields.fotopic.net/p30672083.html

Engine test area, site is owned by Rolls Royce Aero Engines

[CDP]

It's the testing rig and it's a bit large! Hucknall holds a regular fly-in and on occasions, throw open the workshops, but photography - indeed cameras - are banned on the inside! The fly-ins are normally good fun though.



Chris

[Ossington_2008]

Can anyone out there help me with this? How common is this kind of airfield defence? I know the usual kind of BHQ, at ground level, but this thing is new to me. Located well away from the airfield, it covered the living site & with two half-collaped air raid shelters nearby are the only surviving remnants.

Located at the south-west end of Westland Avenue Hucknall, NG15 6FW. Also visible in this shot, diagonally opposite the large wooded area in the small square clump. (I have had this photo since 1995 without knowing it was there!)


It is on private land, do NOT ask for permission to investigate closer. That said, I was allowed access. Is anyone interested in pics of the inside, above & below?

[Ossington_2008]

Here is one of mine. I know I have more, and a lot better, somewhere. Undated, but on a PFA Rally/Fly-in between 88-94. Can anyone confirm?

I asked several RR employees about the test stand and they all said "When RR went bust in 1971, it was deemed, as a cost saving measure, to transfer all test flying to Filton," much to local disappointment. It was a "Filton Man" who authorised the severed runway, under the guise of practicality. Alas, they don't even test engines here now. I have heard dark mutterings of RR selling off the runway and all the field to the south of it for redevelopment. The place is almost surrounded by trading estates as it is...

[PETERTHEEATER]

Ossie, I just looked at The Defence of Britain plots in Google Earth and they have the location marked with this comment:

Location: Hucknall Aerodrome, in woodland at the end of Westland Avenue.
Condition: Fair
Description: 1998/11/07
The Watch Tower is all that is now visible of the Battle Headquarters, set in woodland at the end of Westland Avenue [no public access]. A local resident told the recorders that there was a tunnel (now filled in) leading from the tower to the Battle HQ. [Building 241 on site record plan].

[Ossington_2008]

This is what I have:

Exterior closer-up. Brickwork throughout looks in good condition.

Getting in is impossible without a looooooong ladder. Fortunately the people showing me around had one. (This is not the ground floor)

Each floor has an embrasure on each face with what I think is a frame for blackout material. The slots are way higher than shoulder height, there must have been parapet steps for each. Very medieval.

It is a long and quite dangerous trek to the roof.

Fitting for LAA. And yes, I did get thorned!
Once back at ground level, I was told that it had an underground component.

Adjacent to the entrance was this doorway.

Which leads down a passage that I did not have the appropriate footwear for

By risking life and limb, with wet feet and a camera arm at full stretch, I managed this shot but got no further. Obviously opens out to a section made of Stanton shelter. Surrounding vegetation is very dense but I could not discern any hump so it must have been properly underground. Explains the water.
I must stress again, do NOT ask for permission to view. You will not be welcomed.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Nice pics Ossie, thanks.

I have not seen this type of airfield defence elsewhere so you have captured what might be a unique structure.

If the underground structure was a Stanton shelter then the Watch Tower must have served as the BHQ proper.

It's interesting to see that the brickwork is in English bond so at least the occupants had some protection from small arms fire.

[Smileysal]

Both me and TnM had a look at this last month. The air raid shelters on owned by one person, and the watch tower is owned by someone else. The owners of the air raid shelters kindly allowed us permission to have a look at the tower.

Then then mentioned someone else had visited a couple of days previously, and the people who allowed us to visit, talked to the elderly couple next door, and they copied some old pics of RAF Hucknall during the war, and in the 50's and a few taken a few years ago. The lady said that her father used to fly Manchester's from Hucknall during the war, and had crash landed in Germany.

They were telling us that their gardens used to go up as far as the trees (where the tower is), then the Air Ministry bought all the land behind and built loads of nissan huts etc, (the old pics show all these). Then after the war, all the householders were offered the land back to each house. The elderly couple (and most of the other householders) declined the land, but the people who have the houses and stables to the left (more or less opposite the main entrance to the airfield) took all the land and used it for their horses and animals.

Will get TnM to copy the old pics of the airfield, and the view of the tower and air raid shelters and post them up.

They said that the Battle HQ is around the other side of the airfield, but can't remember where. When you look at the tower in relation to the air field, all the nissan huts and buildings, plus the hangers in front of it, you wouldn't be able to see the airfield and runways from there).

So we're still searching for the Battle HQ lol.

Cheers,

Sal

ps, sorry for rambling on lol.