1. The History
RAF Stenigot is the site of a Second World War radar station on the Lincolnshire Wolds between Donington on Bain and Stenigot. It was an RAF Radar station between 1938 and 1955 and formed part of the so-called Chain Home radar network. Its purpose was to provide long range early warning for raids from Luftflotte V and the northern elements of Luftflotte II along the approaches to Sheffield and Nottingham. The station encompassed both transmission and receiver blocks. The four 240ft timber receiver aerial towers and four 350ft steel transmitter aerial towers stood on concrete blocks. Other buildings included dispersed accommodation huts, including guard huts and standby set houses. In 1940 defensive measures were added, Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pill boxes, road blocks and air raid shelters.
Post Second World War, the site was kept on as part of the Chain Home network. Later in 1959 the site was upgraded to a communications relay site as part of the ACE High program roll-out, when the four tropospheric scatter dishes were erected. The site was finally decommissioned in the late 1980s and partially demolished in 1996.
Three archive pictures with the radars in their original positions:
Stenigot old 1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Stenigot old 2 by HughieDW, on Flickr
stenigot 3 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Only one of the four transmitter aerials survives complete and is now Grade II listed and used by the RAF Aerial Erector School for selection tests for possible recruits. Initially the giant 60-ft-wide parabolic dishes were deemed too expensive to cut up and remove and sat in the field as an impressive remind of the Cold War. A few buildings survive including a triangular pillbox located at the site's western perimeter along with a large ancillary building. The guardhouse remains at the southern entrance.
Recent events have seen a bit of a turn for the worse with the starting of the cutting up of the dishes. As at 21st October 2018 two dishes have already been completely cut up. The other two dishes look likely to follow a similar fate very shortly. Sad times.
2. The Explore
Bit of an archive explore this one. Not sure why I never posted it here at the time. With current developments at Stenigot thought I’d dig my pictures out. Remember it as being a pretty relaxed and easy explore. There was a farmer in the adjacent field ploughing away but he never said anything to us. The main threat was a herd of cows that followed us around the site. Aside from that it was a very nice mooch on a fresh and bright September day back in 2014. Have been meaning to go back to this deep corner of Lincolnshire for a revisit but never quite gotten around to it.
3. The Pictures:
The first thing you see here is the Grade II listed WW2 transmission tower:
img6496 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And here’s the welcoming committee:
img6566 by HughieDW, on Flickr
A lot of people overlook the guard-house but I found it pretty interesting:
img6545 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6546 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6551 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6550 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6548 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6557 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6559 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6552 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6565 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And on to the main event:
img6499 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6535pan by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6512 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6510 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6505 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6523bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6515 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6534panbw by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6531 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The nuts and the bolds:
img6526 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6525 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6519 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6568 by HughieDW, on Flickr
RAF Stenigot is the site of a Second World War radar station on the Lincolnshire Wolds between Donington on Bain and Stenigot. It was an RAF Radar station between 1938 and 1955 and formed part of the so-called Chain Home radar network. Its purpose was to provide long range early warning for raids from Luftflotte V and the northern elements of Luftflotte II along the approaches to Sheffield and Nottingham. The station encompassed both transmission and receiver blocks. The four 240ft timber receiver aerial towers and four 350ft steel transmitter aerial towers stood on concrete blocks. Other buildings included dispersed accommodation huts, including guard huts and standby set houses. In 1940 defensive measures were added, Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pill boxes, road blocks and air raid shelters.
Post Second World War, the site was kept on as part of the Chain Home network. Later in 1959 the site was upgraded to a communications relay site as part of the ACE High program roll-out, when the four tropospheric scatter dishes were erected. The site was finally decommissioned in the late 1980s and partially demolished in 1996.
Three archive pictures with the radars in their original positions:
Only one of the four transmitter aerials survives complete and is now Grade II listed and used by the RAF Aerial Erector School for selection tests for possible recruits. Initially the giant 60-ft-wide parabolic dishes were deemed too expensive to cut up and remove and sat in the field as an impressive remind of the Cold War. A few buildings survive including a triangular pillbox located at the site's western perimeter along with a large ancillary building. The guardhouse remains at the southern entrance.
Recent events have seen a bit of a turn for the worse with the starting of the cutting up of the dishes. As at 21st October 2018 two dishes have already been completely cut up. The other two dishes look likely to follow a similar fate very shortly. Sad times.
2. The Explore
Bit of an archive explore this one. Not sure why I never posted it here at the time. With current developments at Stenigot thought I’d dig my pictures out. Remember it as being a pretty relaxed and easy explore. There was a farmer in the adjacent field ploughing away but he never said anything to us. The main threat was a herd of cows that followed us around the site. Aside from that it was a very nice mooch on a fresh and bright September day back in 2014. Have been meaning to go back to this deep corner of Lincolnshire for a revisit but never quite gotten around to it.
3. The Pictures:
The first thing you see here is the Grade II listed WW2 transmission tower:
And here’s the welcoming committee:
A lot of people overlook the guard-house but I found it pretty interesting:
And on to the main event:
The nuts and the bolds:
