Burtonwood Air Base

I have no doubt but as I’m sat here the best part of 80 miles away it’s proving somewhat difficult. For various reasons it’s doubtful I could ever get there during the day but thanks anyway.

Regards,

kev35

as before mate, well worth a visit to the airbase museum at gullivers world…..

Thank you all for that. It has been really helpful. Seems like Goldcliff Close wasn’t on the airfield but reasonably close to it.

I suppose the next question to all you helpful people is whether or not there is a list in existence3 of all those who died in connection with the Base in whatever capacity. I don’t ask much do I?

Thanks again for all the help.

Regards,

kev35

And the second picture of the evening.

Aerial shot of the area with the major landmarks of the old airbase shown on the first scan labelled.

The nearest accomodation sites were Sites 4 & 5 but as you can see they were to the South of Goldcliffe Close. In fact looking at the picture Wieesso found Site 5 can be seen in the top left corner with woods on 2 sides of it.

Jon

Google Earth shows two of the old hangers just to the NW of the M62 Jn 8 roundabout. The old curved peri-track/taxiway curves west away from them and the ghost of the old NW-SE runway is visible. This is somewhat to the west of Goldcliff Close though.

Scan showing how the M62 cut through the airfield site (taken from Aldon Fergusons excellent book “Royal Air Force Burtonwood”)

Jon

and as far as i know the only buildings left have a link to the air base are the “TOBBACO HOUSES” as they are known locally, where USAF personel used to live with their famillies. And i think those have been emptied ready for demolition.

If they are where I think they are (off Sycamore Lane) they were demolished a few years back now and a new housing estate has been built on it.

Happy to be proved wrong but I think ALL airfield structures of any description have gone now. Did find some fencing, gates etc but nothing meaningful. Though I do know where there are 2 Nissen huts down the road that are most likely ex Burtonwood.

Jon

Doesnt look likely Kev.

Dug out the notes and looks to have been outside of the airfield boundaries and most likely just farmland.

Give me 2 minutes – just scanning a map of the place now to help put it all in perspective.

Jon

Most of what i knew as the airbases, both the US and the RAF one were on the L/H side of cromwell ave as you travel towards ASDA from the sankey way road. Burtonwood road separated the US and the RAF bases when i first started working in the area. and you used to drive along it and see line after line of jeeps/ambulances and all sorts of military equipment at what was known as header house on the US side. ALL of the chapelford villiage is on the US side and the RAF side. Im not sure if goldcliffe was built on part of the base. but i know for a fact there were some very serious ground pollution problems on certain parts of the RAF side, which involved our vehicles being checked for radiation whenever we left a certain part of the site, which i must add were sorted before building was allowed !!!!! The best way to check is visit the RAF BURTONWOOD museum at Gullivers world, and ask them…….they have allsorts of info available. and as far as i know the only buildings left have a link to the air base are the “TOBBACO HOUSES” as they are known locally, where USAF personel used to live with their famillies. And i think those have been emptied ready for demolition.

Maybe ask the AIX guys? They’d know for sure.

http://airfieldinformationexchange.freeforums.org/index.php

kev35, do you know this already?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Burtonwood-1945.jpg

Martin

The large buildings between Goldcliffe Close and the M62 are the various sheds of the Gemini Retail Park, notably Marks and Spencer (the lozenge-shaped one with the corner cut off) and its neighbour Ikea. All of them were purpose-built.
Most of the old air base was was to the west of junction 6 of the M62, so I would doubt the retail park was built on parts of the base. Somewhere I’ve got a 1960s one-inch map and I’ll try to find it, just to make sure.
The photographs on Google maps show the old hangars (now demolished) and you can just make out the line of the second runway. Last time I went past a few days ago there was next to nothing left, only the outline of the old taxiways where the concrete had been dug up.

Thanks for that, but let’s assume that I’m not the sharpest knife in the draw. I read somewhere that the M62 partially followed the line of the runway. Are the large buildings between Goldcliff Close and the M62 connected to Burtonwood? Are they re-clad airfield buildings? I suppose what I’m really trying to establish is whether or not Goldcliff Close once lay within the confines of Burtonwood Air Base and if so what activity would have taken place at that part of the site? Engineering, maintenance, assembly, domestic etc.

Regards,

kev35

Hi. Just put Goldcliffe Close , Warrington into Multimap.com and all will be revealed. Use the various settings to get the whole picture.
Good Luck.