Site Records

Site Name: RAF Hayscastle Cross - West Coast Chain Home and West Coast Readiness ROTOR Radar Station

Hayscastle Cross
Pembrokeshire
OS Grid Ref: SM920256

Sub Brit site visit 25th May 2007

RAF HAYSCASTLE CROSS TODAY
The remaining buildings are on two farms between two un-named minor roads running east from to the B4330 close to the centre of Hayscastle Cross village.

The ‘Type B’ receiver block is derelict and unused; both walkways through the earth revetment are open with a rough wire fence to prevent animals enter the building.  There is a blast wall and an open walkway around the building for additional protection. Within the building, all the partition walls remain intact as do most of the wooden doors and the building still retains its original colours with the walls painted cream and blue and the woodwork light green.  Once inside the main entrance, the first room on the left is the transformer room.  This

Inside a typical Chain Home receiver room click

To the left at one end of the building a further set of double doors lead into the power distribution centre.  There is another red sign on the door which says ‘Danger High Voltage – Distribution Centre B’. Inside the room the receiver power distribution equipment is still in place consisting of three floor standing electrical cabinets. Externally they appear complete with dials, knobs, switches and fuses still in place but much of the inside has been ripped out.  The adjacent air conditioning plant room has a high level platform with the remains of the air conditioning plant, a fan housing was still in place in 2004 but this has now gone. Some switchgear remains on one wall.

At the opposite end of the building is the large receiver room.  This still has acoustic tiles around the walls and a supervisor’s cabin with a glass window looking into the room. An open pit in the centre of the room is for incoming cables feeding a duplicate pair of Chain Home RF8 (originally RF5) receivers.  Throughout the building ventilation trunking, electric light fittings and some of the electric cabling is still in place..

The concrete bases for the two wooden receiver towers can be seen in the field on either side of the building, each consisting of four large concrete blocks to support the wooden legs of the tower.

Close by, there are three interlinked huts one with a water tower.  These were messing and ablutions buildings.  The buildings are derelict with wire preventing entry by animals.  One room was clearly a dining room with a serving hatch into the adjacent kitchen which still retains its hot cupboard although now moved from its original position; other rooms contain urinals, WC’s, wash basins and a water tank.  A second line of three huts stands close to the blocks; a further two huts have been demolished since 2004.

To the north of the receiver block, but in the same field the ‘Type C’ receiver block stands close to the road.  This was originally completely covered in earth although some of the earth has now fallen away or been removed.

The main entrance into the building is sealed but the secondary entrance is open although blocked with old tyres to stop animals getting in; in the past the building has clearly been used as an animal shelter with straw still covering the floor but it is now derelict. The building still retains all its original partition walls, wooden doors and ventilation trunking.  In one corner of the room there is a small glass panelled supervisor’s cabin, this rarely survives in buildings of this type. In an adjacent room the

Chain Home air conditioning plant room click

Plan of a 'Type C' West Coast Receiver Block
Redrawn by Nick Catford from an original survey of RAF Hayscastle Cross by Len Thomas

For further information and pictures of RAF Hayscastle Cross click here

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