It’s also conceivable that the majority of the bricks are now dust. Preservation? Pah!

Well when I spoke with the English Heritage and LA people they expressed the bricks weren’t high quality.

There hasn’t been any sorting of brick, wood, tile etc. Just all in together.

Besides, the Grahame White Factory is all new brick, cut to original size so not the best precedent.

The bricks from earlier bits demolished has been through a crusher. There is a big pile of spoil where that part of the building once once.

They have saved the following, as far as I can see:

Salvagable windows
Any oranmental stonework/balustrade
Some bricks – I assume enough for the front facade so it “appears” to be built of “old” looking brick.
The metal frames the building that was directly behind the watch tower

The rest has been reduced to rubble.

Even the “tower” part of the watchtower was pulled down with the digger – one morning last week I got up, looked out the window at breakfast at it, and then by the time I’d left for work it had been pulled down.

I was hoping they were going to save the metal frame of the watchtower as with the other parts but they way the digger pulled it apart and wrenched the steelwork from its foundations it’s probably too damaged to be reinstated.

But didn’t the 2 stand for Mach 2, so Tactical Strike and Reconnaissance (Mach) 2 rather than version 2?

I have a website I’ve put together with a virtual tour of both RAF Cosford and Hendon that has similar panoramic photos.

http://aviation.elettra.co.uk/rafmuseum/virtual.php

Not aviation related but if anyone is interested in the QE2 or HMS Belfast I have similar virtual tours of them so PM me and I can give you the links.

Great pictures.
I did much the same at Cosford a couple of years back. Of course, you can overdo that kind of thing….:diablo:

I did a heritage degree at uni and do a bit of heritage work for an environmental consultancy. Listed buildings are afforded protection for their architectural or historic significcance or cultural/social associations. If a particular building in an outstanding example of its type then it will be listed; if buildings were only listed if 100% of original material remained very few would be listed. Many cathedrals will have had a lot of external stonework, glass, lead roofs replaced so should they be de-listed? (All buildings before a certain date are listed automatically but I’m making a point).

I did hear rumours that Cosford might get one on a forum somewhere, would go nicely with the Comet 1XB. Now the BA Collection has gone there is certainly the space and I definitely recall a post about Cosford getting a Nimrod, VC10 and Hercules (the reason I recall is that Cosford had only recently disposed of a civilian VC10).

Actually if you inspect the ground where these aircraft stood there is some plastic matting or webbing embedded in the ground, which must be there for a reason?