UK Control Towers – Health Check

Wittering

Don’t know what they did at Wittering during WW2 but by the early 1950’s Air Traffic was in what amounted to little more than a greenhouse and a garden shed on the roof of one of the hangars. It did for the Lincolns. I can’t remember when the current “modern” tower was built. Either for the Canberras or (more probably) the Valiants.
Resmoroh

Condover airfield and control tower for sale

If the link below doesn’t work, a google search for Condover tower sale brings up the Halls website. I have fond memories of horse riding at Berriewood and was always fascinated to see the control tower in the field. The riding stables actually use some of the old airfield buildings as stores. Let’s hope the tower goes to a sympathetic home.

http://www.hallsestateagents.co.uk/property.aspx?intPID=207&intTID=4&intContentID=138

i wouldnt mind looking in that museum

Chedburgh control tower is still standing in February 2007, here are a couple of photos:

Jeez. I saw that and didn’t recognise it for what it was.

Amazing.

Moggy

Hello (first time poster).

I see no-one has replied in response to Cranwell, yes the old tower is still there, albeit with a modern day observation post on the roof.

It’s highly visible from the B1429, which cuts through the 2 halves of the main camp. Pics are here….

http://actionstations.fotopic.net/c1079017_1.html

Apologies for the rather blurry images, but I’m afraid my old digitial camera isn’t much good at “zooming”.

The pics are, of course, of the rear of the tower. Someone with a decent high quality camera and zoom could probably get a decent shot of the front from the unclassified road that runs along the East side of the airfield.

High Ercall tower’s long gone, I’m afraid. It was on the east side of the field (the opposite of the MU site which is still quite intact.) There were lots of buildings and hangars on the tower side but only traces of roads remain today.

Flew over some of our old Shropshire airfields recently on a tower hunt.

Montford Bridge – tower extant but derelict.
Rednal – ditto.
Condover – ditto.
Ollerton – tower fully refurbished into a B&B.
Atcham, Tilstock, Peplow – no sign of surviving tower.
Tern Hill has a later structure built onto the original as far as I can tell.
Cosford – original tower still in use.
Sleap – original watch office still in use by the Shropshire Aero Club.
Shawbury has a later tower built when the main runway was extended early sixties. The wartime tower survives as the operations and met office block.
High Ercall has what could be the original tower but I would need to check this from the ground.

Hope this helps.

elsham tower long gone one hanger remains one runway dug up for hardcore road over the top, not sure about snaith,or ricall dont know if leven or paul airfield were ever ww2 stations or if they had towers any info?

As of yesterday afternoon, Odiham had two surviving control towers….

hi phantex, nice photos, any chance i can add them to my odiham webpage?:

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/O/Odiham.htm

thanks!

Chedburgh tower alive and well…

Having walked the entire field just a few weeks back I can confirm that no tower is extant at Chedburgh.

Moggy

Chedburgh control tower is still standing in February 2007, here are a couple of photos:

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/C/Chedburgh.htm

if anyone local can supply a front view to match the black and white photo it would be much appreciated!

As of yesterday afternoon, Odiham had two surviving control towers….

Quick update on the Leicestershire Situation

Rearsby – No sign of a Control Tower.
Ratcliffe – No sign of a Control Tower
Castle Donnington – No WW2 Control Tower remaining. There are several, heavily modified, B1 and T2 hangars around the SW corner of the site and a handful of Seco buildings around.

Proplover – Tatenhill’s wartime tower was demolished quite a while ago. A photo appears in Action Stations 3.

Time for a strong coffee!!

😉 After looking at a load of airfield pics earlier I came across the control tower at Winkleigh.It is the airfield with the tower that i thought was at Shoreham which was the prev field I had looked at.
http://worldwar2airfields.fotopic.net/p15442664.html

Peter

Any chance of posting the photo of the tower at Shoreham that you mention?

Richard

First off, Eastchurch, I am sure there is no control tower there as it’s a prison now, however there are some “sheds” there that are/was part of the prison farm, that were the first Short’s factory, reputedly in very good order too, I seem to recall that there was a plan to referb them and open some sort of museum, Eastchurch being the home of Some of the earliest powered flying in the country.
Rochester, I love Rochester airfield, it does have a little control tower, I think not the original one though. It also has the shorts old test hanger. Some of the airfield has been given over to a retail development, indeed the original terminal building was knocked down to facilitate the building of a big poncey toy shop, poor quality homeware shop and a shoddy electrical retailer … To$$ers.. also within the last few weeks more buildings on the site are being demolished to make way for god knows what, but you can bet it aint aviation related, however I digress. Here is a piccie of the control tower and one of the hanger.

Dezz

Should have these for you before too long… in fact you can already download the Google Earth kml placemarks and the raw lat/longs or long/lat in csv format from my site… but I`m making quite a few updates this week so maybe best to wait a while…

Dave

With a bit of looking I reckon you could answer the High Halden question from that – but you might need a wartime picture to find it! I don’t think anywhere could vanish quite as thoroughly!

Adrian

Shoreham

Apologies if already posted but I just came across a photo of Shoreham tower and it is still standing but derelict.

In respect of Kelmscott and Shellingford both airfields are long gone and as far as I’m aware so have their towers/watch offices – assuming they had towers to begin with. I’m afraid I cannot say for certain either way.
Brize Norton still being an active station it does have a tower but I fear the WWII one no longer exists though I may be wrong. If it does it is well hidden somewhere on the station that I never got to see when I was there. In addition to these I think that Yate is now buried under a trading estate and I think Chickerell has been demolished. Icertainly don’t remember seeing any signs of an airfield the last time I was down Ckickerell way (about 20 years ago).
Sorry I cannot be more helpful

Tatenhill – not seen a WW2 style tower despite several visits, current tower is a ‘modern’ unit alongside the hanger sited on part of the old peri track.
Newtonards – didnt see a WW2 style hanger in 2005, current tower is a box on legs near the current GA hangers.
Campbeltown – dont believe the WW2 hanger still exists as a lot of the period on-site buildings were removed during the expansion – current tower is modern unit and whilst standing in it last year I didnt notice a typical WW2 tower on the airfield.
Culdrose – I think there are a number of ‘towers’ here over the years- 3 rings a bell however the original is still there Im led to believe although greatly changed in shape and use.