Site Records

Site Name: RAF Kilchiaran ('ECK') CHEL R11 ROTOR Radar Station

Kilchiaran Farm
Kilchiaran
Island of Islay
OS Grid Ref: NR207616

Sub Brit site visit 16th August 2004

RAF KILCHIARAN TODAY
The technical block at RAF Kilchiaran is located on Creag Goirtean Na Feannaige, a 139 metre high outcrop 1.5 kilometres due north from Kilchiaran Farm. A dirt track terminates at a BT microwave tower, adjacent to the R11 technical block.

Externally the R11 is in good condition. All the windows were bricked up by the RAF before they vacated the site and the main entrance door is securely locked.

Internally the building has been almost completely gutted; most of the teak flooring in the corridor and most of the rooms has been removed making progress through the building difficult. Much of the underfloor cable trunking is still in place, as is the ventilation trunking suspended from the ceiling in most of the rooms.

The Air Conditioning plant room did not have a false timber floor and is accessed down a short flight of concrete steps. Much of the plant is still in place including fans, filter banks and metal trunking running through to the air intake and exhaust on the roof of the building. The filter banks are located in two small brick built rooms located on either side of the plant room.

The domestic rooms are located at the north end of the building, at the end of a short side corridor. This area comprises male and female toilet cubicles and a male and female rest room, each with a serving hatch into the tiny kitchen. The kitchen like the rest of the building has been completely stripped of its fixtures and fittings. Some of the WC pans remain intact as does the single male urinal. This part of the building has a solid concrete floor.

At the south end of the main spine corridor, close to the entrance is a series of small rooms. The largest room has a hatch into the spine corridor, this would have been the guard room, one of the other rooms would have been the armoury. Again these rooms have a solid concrete floor. The sub-station at the south end of the building is still in use and is securely locked.

The two radar plinths are still in good condition and have also been bricked up to prevent access. Each has step irons giving access to the roof and there is also evidence of an external ladder. The taller (12') Type 14 plinth has a short flight of concrete steps for access. The Type 14 plinth stands a few yards ro the north of the WW2 CHL technical block; this is now empty and disused.

BT microwave equipment is now housed in one of the Rotor buildings on the north side of the technical block; this is now painted white. This building is only found at stations with an R11 technical block and at Snaefell the building had been used as a standby set-house..

The VHF receiver block is located at 102 metres high, on top of Bealach Na Caillich, another craggy outcrop 450 yards to the south west of the technical site. This consists of two buildings, a 'small' (standard designation) brick built receiver building with the base for the 120' wooden aerial tower alongside. The windows and doorway have all been bricked up. The standby set-house stands 50 yards to the east. The building is open and has a concrete plinth for the generator. There is another, larger, aerial mast base alongside this building. This may have been a WW2 structure or it may be the base of the 180' mast originally planned for the station.

A third concrete building and some hut bases can be seen a short distance to the east, these definitely date from WW2 and were part of the Chain Home Low radar station.

The main CHL operation block is on the west side of the R11 but a PRO file lists the VHF receiver as being on the site of a former (WW2) CHEL.

The stand-by set house still stands within the WW2 CHL domestic camp, close to Kilchiaran Farm house in Kilchiaran village.

The concrete building dates from WW2 and was refitted for rotor use in the 1950's It has now been stripped of any original fixtures and fittings and has been put to agricultural use. An underground power cable originally linked this building with the standby-set house serving the airfield at Port Ellen. This cable is still in place.

A number of other buildings from the CHL domestic camp still stand with the concrete bases of further buildings clearly visible

Those members of Subterranea Britannica taking part in this visit were Nick Catford, Martin Briscoe, Keith Ward and Mark Bennett.

For further pictures of RAF Kilchiaran click here

For Kilchiaran CHL Radar Station click here

Sources:

• Bob Jenner
• Keith Ward
• Ian Brown
• PRO Files
  Air 20/10699 Appendix E & Appendix K
  Air 2/12063
  

Home Page

© 2004 Subterranea Britannica