Historic airfield for sale.
A PIECE of Historic land on the Somerset/Devon border is being put up for sale.
The former Second World War airfield at Smeatharpe is scheduled to go under the hammer at the Castle Hotel, Taunton, on Wednesday, May 17.
Two lots of land are being put up for auction by neighbouring vendors, making a total of 390.38 acres of land of considerable agricultural and historical importance.
The first lot is 181.85 acres and is the site of Gotleigh Farmhouse with accompanying pasture and amenity land, a range of modern farm buildings and Gotleigh Moore, and area of conservation land designated a Site of Special Interest.
It has a number of Second World War buildings including an air traffic control tower, parachute folding house, barracks and range of associated offices.
The second site is Smeatharpe Airfield and is around 208 acres of productive arable and pasture land, as well as the major part of the Second World War runways.
Smeatharpe Airfield (known as Upottery Field) has an important military history and was a vital strategic centre during the Second World War.
The 500-acre site was requisitioned by the Government specifically to support the planned D-Day landings in 1942-1943, which turned out to be the largest military invasion in history.
It was at Smeatharpe on the night of June 5, 1944, that paratroopers from the American 101st Airborne Division boarded their C-47 transporters bound for Normandy.
The division was part of the allied push into Germany and its exploits were made famous by the television series Band of Brothers.
The sites are being sold by Greenslade Taylor Hunt.
Source: http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/disp…ld_for_sale.php
By: cdp206 - 20th June 2006 at 12:13
Hello
On the subject of airfield sell offs….any news of West Raynham and Sculthorpe amongst others that are no doubt, doomed to become housing estates as part of Dear Johnnie(The Fat controller/Two Jags) Prescott’s plans?
Tim
It’ll probably be housing or a ‘centre’ of some kind! Just do a Google for ‘Disused airfields+hansard’. There’s a bit of it knocking around, some going back four or five years. The housing part was well illustrated on a recent jaunt to Snaith. Apart from two sites (the WAAF accomodation sites) pretty much all of the dispersed sites have brand new housing on them, which fit quite neatly into the former wartime boundaries of these far-flung areas. With regards to the Hansards’s material, you’ll probable need to search within a page once open but it is quite interesting (well, ish) skimming around it as it puts their mention into context, quite a bit to do wth refugee centres.
By: Tailspin - 20th June 2006 at 11:20
Saved!!!
Upottery airfield looks to have been bought by a man with a passion for history. Hopefully we may see the restoration of the control tower if nothing else. Read on:
A devon airfield which saw US airmen parachute into France on D-Day went up for auction, raising more than £1 million for the farming family selling it. It was standing room only for the auction of Smeatharpe Airfield and adjoining Godleigh Farm at the Castle Hotel in Taunton, with keen bidding not just from local farmers but also from military enthusiasts.
The airfield on the Blackdown Hills was a base for the paratroopers of the US 101st Airborne Division who dropped down into northern France on the night of June 5 1944. Their exploits were immortalised in the Steven Spielberg television series Band of Brothers.
Seven parcels of land and a farmhouse changed hands, a total of about 350 acres of arable land, for £1.13 million. A further lot, the site of the stock car stadium and part of the runway on the site, sold before the auction.
The most historically significant lot , including the air traffic control tower and barracks, sold to Second World War history enthusiast Nicholas Boyett of London.
Mr Boyett arrived with ten seconds to spare to successfully bid £150,0000 for the lot, which also includes 50 acres of arable land and part of the runway.
He had seen details of the sale just five days previously and had inspected the airfield, just inside Devon, minutes beforehand. He is selling his home in London to fund the purchase. His main interest is the air traffic control tower, dating from the war, which is still in reasonable condition.
He said: “These control towers are historic, they should not be allowed to rot into the ground. These buildings tell a definite story and have different campaigns under their belt.”
The land is being sold by farmer Dennis Sanders and his brothers William and Sidney because one of the brothers is retiring.
Mr Sanders is still retaining a few acres at Smeatharpe, where he will continue to keep pigs. The rest of the stock and farm machinery were sold last week.
Most of the land was compulsorily purchased from the Sanders family by the Ministry of Defence to build the airfield during the war. Mr Sanders’ grandfather bought it back during the 1960s and the family have farmed it ever since.
Auctioneer Charles Clark, of Chard-based Greenslade Taylor Hunt which organised the sale, said: “We have been inundated with enquiries, particularly Americans from the D-Day connection, really wanting to know what is going to happen to it.
“It has a fascinating history. The bidding was very spirited.”
The page can be visited here:
By: Lee Howard - 22nd April 2006 at 15:44
Yes, thankfully I know the current owner (via a friend) and I’m hopefully going for a look around the old tower and airfield this coming week to get some photos before anything happens to it.
By: Binbrook 01 - 22nd April 2006 at 14:52
Hello
On the subject of airfield sell offs….any news of West Raynham and Sculthorpe amongst others that are no doubt, doomed to become housing estates as part of Dear Johnnie(The Fat controller/Two Jags) Prescott’s plans?
Tim
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April 21, 2006 at 7:22 pm