Shepherds Grove – Stirlings to Thor

I’ll try and get a shot with one of my other cameras as i couldn’t get it all in one pic with the one i had with me.

🙂 Sorry we missed those.

Moggy

Here are a few pic’s of the badge in the concrete.

I’ll check it out next time I’m there. Thanks.

Anybody else is welcome to also.

Moggy

The tree was at the far left hand end of the little track behind the memorial. It was around 18 or 19 years ago when i saw it and it looked quite rotten then so i don’t know if it is still there.

By the way Moggy i don’t suppose the tree with all the names engraved in the bark is still at knettishall is it?

Tell me more.

If it is there, I’ll find it

Moggy

Sorry we missed those, but it was only a brief visit. We have a 1942 inscription roughly inscribed in the concrete at Knettishall.

Asphalt? Probably. There’s wartime concrete underneath and the asphalt dates from the cold war?

Moggy

Yes there is concrete underneath but the only reason the runway is in good condition is because of the asphalt. the section of runway that is just concrete is in very poor condition. I was at Eye airfield last week and i was amazed to see so many footprints in the concrete from when it was being layed, Makes you think about all the workers that built so many airfields in such a short time. By the way Moggy i don’t suppose the tree with all the names engraved in the bark is still at knettishall is it?

No, local knowledge.

The biggest single structure warehouse anywhere East of the M1 in the entire UK

It’ll make an even better waypoint for returning to Knettishall than the derelict airfield does at the moment, but that’s little compensation for losing that tower.

Warehouse ‘will be built’
FEARS that IKEA was pulling out of plans to build a warehouse in Stanton have been quashed by the firm’s bosses.
Proposals to build a distribution centre in Shepherds Grove were approved in October last year – much to the annoyance of local residents.
They claimed the project, which will create around 300 jobs, would add to the volume of traffic currently clogging up the A143.
But in the six months since outline planning approval was granted, the company has failed to make any headway on the development.
This has led to rumours that the firm is considering altering the plans or pulling out altogether.
Fred Rutherford, ex-chairman of the A143 Action Committee, said the latest delay – the scheme was first mooted two years ago – was typical.
“Ever since this scheme emerged, there was no urgency by IKEA – it was quite happy for 15 months just to drag on,” he said.
“And since actually getting planning permission, six months have lapsed and there has still been no movement whatsoever.”
But IKEA acquisitions manager Paul Jacobs this week said: “We don’t have a start date yet but we are clearly still committed to a move to Suffolk.”
Mr Jacobs said once a full assessment of local traffic issues had been carried out, the firm would push ahead with building work.
12 April 2004

Moggy

Perhaps I missed an earlier thread, but has Ikea definitely bought this former airfield? If so, what for?

Shame you didn’t get a picture of one of the squadron badges which even has the date beside it in the concrete outside one of the buildings. I have seen other dates in the concrete one of those was from 1943

Sorry we missed those, but it was only a brief visit. We have a 1942 inscription roughly inscribed in the concrete at Knettishall.

Asphalt? Probably. There’s wartime concrete underneath and the asphalt dates from the cold war?

Moggy

Lofty and I did a bit of airfielding on Saturday.

This is the current state of play at Shepherds Grove.

The tower, thanks to its fairly recent use as offices by Redland Tile, whose bizarre cladding makes this probably one of the best preserved unpreserved watchtowers I’ve come across. But I fear the rot has started and it will go the way of many others shortly.

Also pictured the guardtower and storage hards from its Thor missile days.

That runway looks perfectly useable with a bit of FOD clearance. I made it about 600 to 700 metres of concrete left.

Moggy

I think you should not of entered that site!! Anna

I had a look at the cctv and saw you looking around Moggy, Shame you didn’t get a picture of one of the squadron badges which even has the date beside it in the concrete outside one of the buildings. I have seen other dates in the concrete one of those was from 1943 and there are several peoples names and dates in the floors of at least one building. And yes the runway is in very good condition but i think you will find it is asphalt rather than a concrete surface. 😉 If i can i will get a picture of the squadron badge but it shows up better some days than others.

It’s a shame because that tile cladding appears to have kept the basic structure in superb condition.

Maybe someone should convert it into a holiday home for people who really like shopping for rickety self-assembly furniture?

Moggy

PS: I know it’s a warehouse, not a store.

Moggy. while I am not Swedish I do live in Sweden, and admit that they did some things during the war of which they are not too proud today. However at least Raoul Wallenberg tried to make up for it, and there were the “white buses” near the end of the war. Not to mention the supply of ball bearings to the UK which perhaps offset their export of iron ore to Germany.
Having got that off my chest, now please bear in mind that Ingvar Kampråd, the owner and founder of IKEA, is a consummate businessman, some would say without a soul, so that I think commercial interest would be his and IKEA’s only consideration.
This brings me to the conclusion that the tower is doomed.

We can’t keep all the airfields in East Anglia for ever, but it would be nice if Ikea could at least preserve the tower. Can’t think of any good commercial reason why they should. The war didn’t seem to touch the Swedes much.

Or is Ikea Danish :confused:

Moggy

Shame it’s not going to stay that way for too much longer when Ikea start work there.