Site Name: RAF Pevensey - Chain Home Radar StationPylons Farm Sub Brit site visit 10.1987 & 1.5.2004 [Source:
Nick Catford]
RAF PEVENSEY TODAY The original concrete road continues in a south westerly direction
towards the receiver block which can be seen in the distance. After
a further 100 yards a road turns off to the east, opposite this junction
there is another air raid shelter on the south side of the road, the
front has been removed and it is now used as a store.
Photo:The
stand-by set house in October 1987 - this has now been changed out of
all recognition
Photo by Nick Catford Turning right at the junction the stand-by set house is reached after
100 yards. When visited in 1987 this was still standing and in good
condition but today it has changed out of all recognition. The brick
built stand-by set house has been demolished leaving the blast walls
that surrounded the building. The southern wall has been removed to
create an open front and a new hipped roof was added in 2003. The earth
banks surrounding the blast walls have also been largely removed. The
building is now used as a farm machinery store. The main spine road carries on in a south westerly direction passing
another air raid shelter on the left and the foundations of other buildings
on the right. After a further 150 yards the receiver block is reached.
This is the only one of the three protected blocks still standing in
anything like its original condition. The block still retains its earth
traverse with two ways through to a ring path around the outside of
the brick building. Inside the building the partition walls are still
in place maintaining the original room layout although all the rooms
have been stripped of any original fittings. The floorboards in the
main spine corridor have also been removed making access through the
difficult as the underfloor area is flooded.
Photo:The
receiver block with one of the mast bases to the left
Photo by Nick Catford The main tiled receiver room is at the north west end of the building,
this has a long rectangular open cable duct in the floor. The ventilation
plant room has a number of small concrete beds. There is ventilation
trunking in the building with some sections of it lying on the floor.
On the south side of the building there is a Stanton air raid shelter
which is flooded. The four receiver tower bases are arranged in a rhombic pattern around
the operations block, each of them consisting of four large concrete
bases each supporting one leg of the tower. Underneath the southern
tower are the collapsed remains of the original IFF hut. A concrete
path runs south from the operations block to the collapsed remains of
the later IFF hut. The two buried reserves are 75 yards apart in a field 150 yards to
the south of the main spine road. The transmitter buried reserve to
the east has four concrete bases for the transmitter tower.
Photo:The
transmitter buried reserve
Photo by Nick Catford Close by are the three concrete hatches mounted on rollers flush with
the ground. The larger pair were for plant and the smaller hatch which
opens on to a steel stairway was for personnel. None of the hatches
will now move but there is sufficient space to see through and the bunker
is flooded just below the middle landing on the stairway. When visited
in 1987 it was possible to open the hatch and descend the ladder down
to the floodwater. Close by there are the remains of two ventilator
towers and the hatch for the emergency exit. This has been capped with
a concrete block. The receiver buried reserve to the west leaves identical remains but
is flooded to within a couple of inches of the surface. A number of concrete foundations from other buildings can be seen scattered
around the site. Sources:
For further pictures of RAF Pevensey click here [Source:
Nick Catford]
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