Ludham (Zombie thread from 2003)

It was advertised in the local rag, and came off the market VERY quickly. However, it has been noted that nothing has happened to the place as discussed. Shame really – I dont think it will make a museum, but something needs to be done!

Bruce

The tower was forsale last year by its owners the local council, having failed to sell before, it has permission to convert into one holliday let, and had a guide price of £100k.

I looked at it, took a couple of photos and went home, so I dont know if it sold (april 2006) but it was about £40k overpriced in my view, especially when you look at the one that sold down in Somerset (the previous year) which was the tower, runway, a few odd buildings and 50 acres all for £150k!

I called through Ludham a couple of days back and had a look in the tower, its a sorry state compared to what it was like after restoration in 2002. Theres a small control office next to it too and a corrugated shed that has been added in recent years by the looks of it.

It was bought in 2005 by a KLM pilot I believe, who got permission to turn it into two holiday flats, Norwich council have the submitted plans. Since then I’m guessing he must have sold it back, as nothing has happened to it and the council are listing it for sale.

It might make a nice museum but theres virtually nothing left of the airfield. One of the runways is used as a private airfield and there is a large gun butt wall but thats about it.

There are control tower museums at Diss and Seething nearby that I keep meaning to get to, Neatishead Radar station too. City of Norwich Aviation museum is good, the staff there are excellent and very helpful and will give you a tour of the Vulcan’s cockpit for an extra few quid. Flixton museum is also worth a look round if youre in the area.

Hope this helps,

MH

I know it is dragging up a really old thread but I was passing by Ludham recently and the tower looks derelict again. Wasn’t their some idea of restoring it in the past few years? What happened to the plans they had for it? Who owns it now and what future is there for it? With Neatishead down the road you might think that some sort of joint museum / project could work.

RE: Ludham

Ralph was based at Ludham but moved out a few years back and unfortunately for us enthusiasts and probably fortunately for him he’s not around at the weekend. The Sea Fury is stored with him at present and I’m planning to take a trip back to the folk’s soon and go and take a few panels off it to try and resolve some troubles I’ve come across whilst rebuilding the Tempest’s sternpost, aircraft don’t respond well to being dragged backwards whilst sitting on their bellies!

Tom 😉

RE: Ludham

Airfield Focus no. 46 is about Ludham

Published by GMS enterprises in 2001, the Author is John N Smith,
ISBN No. 1870384811

Regards Martin Burney

RE: Ludham

Norwich Library is now contained in the big new glass Forum building in the centre of town. It contains an 8th AF memorial wing, which has loads of stuff in dedicated to the local squadrons. There is an audio visual terminal at which you can watch videos, plenty of periodicals, banners, flags and models around the edge of the room of every formation B-24 in all their glorious lairy colour schemes. If you’re in town it’s worth popping in.

As for the airport museum, personally I very much enjoyed it. Maybe it depends what kinds of aircraft flick your switch. The building there is a museum dedicated to the RAF No.100 Group (not USAF this time!) and the aircraft surround the building. Their web site is here: http://www.cnam.co.uk/

Hope this helps.

RE: Ludham

Library? Me? I went to look for a phone in there, but never been in a Norfolk library in my life! Flixton does have quite tasty beer though, and there’a another place nearby too that is quite good – where Janie is kept.

RE: Ludham

Kev,

Norwich had a section of the city centre museum devoted to the 8th AF archives. Unfortunately it burned down a couple of years back. I think they have opened a new section, but Snapper can probably give you more info.

The museum at the airport is OK, but hardly worth the trip. I have a particular fondness for the Bungay & Flixton museum, but that might be driven by the fact the adjacent pub serves great meals and not bad beer.

Moggy

RE: Ludham

Andrew.

thanks for that, really good of you to take the time.

Snapper.

I might take you up on that but it would be another ‘early morning’ job. If I’m travelling that far I’d like to take in more than Ludham. How’s the museum at Norwich? And is the 2nd AD memorial library worth a visit. Can you check whether the museum still exists as I can find no reference to it anymore? I visited the place in 1996 and it was a worthwhile visit. There was a Stearman ‘playing’ in the area and I’m sure there were several airframes there as well.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Ludham

Kev – it’s not far from mine (20 miles or so) and close to Martham – where Johnny Wiseman was from.

Johnny Johnson was there for a bit, and it’s supposedly quite interesting. You know what I mean, own doorstep etc, never been!

If you fancy a trip out there, give me a call – we can do lunch etc.

RE: Ludham

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-01-03 AT 10:04 PM (GMT)]Lying 11 miles NE of Norwich, half a mile west of Ludham village, the airfield was built as a second grass surface satellite airfield for RAF Coltishall, later prepared for use as a USAAF Bomber field but not taken up.

History:

Operational flying commenced in November of 1941, Ludham being used as a forward base for fighter command when the Spitfires of 152 squadron began to make daily use of the airfield. It was to be used by many RAF squadrons over next three years but none were to stay for very long. The station was closed to flying operations in July 1943 and work commenced to build three concrete runways, taxi tracks and aircraft hard standings. This work was done to prepare the station for its next intended occupants, the U.S. Eighth Air Force, but they never took up the option of using Ludham for operational duties. The upgrade work was to take a year, after which time the station remained empty of all but its maintenance complement until August 1944. Although not an operational station in its own right, Ludham was opened by a skeleton duty crew to provide emergency recovery facilities for American bombers returning from raids on the continent; Ludham being the first airfield on the flight path home to Norfolk. In total 8 B17s, 1 B24, 1 P47, & 1 P48 aircraft did have to either crash or make emergency landings at Ludham or in the surrounding area.

Transfer to RN control

LUDHAM was transferred from RAF No. 12 Group to Admiralty charge 24th August 1944, an advance party of the Mobile Naval Airfields Organisation arriving to occupy the airfield the day before.

Ludham commissioned as H.M.S. FLYCATCHER, R.N.A.S. LUDHAM September 4th under the command of CDR (A) J.B. WILSON, Senior Officer Mobile Naval Airfields Organisation (S.N.O.M.N.A.O.).

While at Ludham the MNAO was to assemble and despatch the first five Mobile Naval Air Bases (MONAB) and one Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard (TAMY).

http://members.madasafish.com/~monabhistory/images/B17_small.jpg
Crash landed B17 at Ludham October 1943.

Captain L. J. S. EDES assumed command of R.N.A.S. LUDHAM and the title S.N.O.M.N.A.O., on November 1st 1944.

Ludham’s location did not lend itself to the task of the MNAO since all mobile units sailed from Liverpool and later Greenock, transporting the vehicles and equipment from Ludham was a long job.

The RAF offered to exchange RAF Middle Wallop, which had become available, for Ludham which they now planned to reopen as an operational station. The Admiralty accepted and Ludham was retuned to No. 12 group control on February 16th 1945. There is no record of any flying raking place at Ludham while under RN control.

Post RN Control

The RAF wasted mo time in utilising the station, No. 602 (City of Glasgow) squadron arriving within days of the navy leaving on the 23rd, and began operational sorties the following day with their Spitfire XVs. They were joined by 603 (City of Edinburgh) squadron the next day, also flying Spitfires. Both squadrons were to return to Coltishall on April 5th.

The next unit to arrive was 91 squadron which flew in from Manston three days later on the 8th. They were to be joined by No. 1 squadron, also flying the new Spitfire XXIs, arrived on the 14th of May 1945 this was to be a brief stay before both units departing on July 14th.

No further flying was to take place at Ludham; the station was placed on Care & Maintenance on August 8th 1945.

Control transferred to 60 group Fighter Command, on September 3rd and the accommodation sites were straight away utilised for housing personnel from surrounding RAF establishments, the station becoming officially titled 60 Group Personnel Holding Unit on September 25th. The site officially closed in April 1946.

Above Information from http://members.madasafish.com/~monabhistory/About.htm

And as for the control tower, you may wanna try this link,very useful… http://www.controltowers.co.uk/L/Ludham.htm