1. The History
The Officers' Mess and Accommodation Quarters for RAF Syerston have been separated from the rest of the base since the building of the new A46 dual carriageway in 2012. The RAF base itself was heavily connected with aviation legends such as Guy Gibson VC, Gus Walker and Bill Reid VC, who were all based there during the war. They used the officers’ mess which was built in 1940 for dining, drinking and accommodation. During his 11 months at Coningsby and latterly Syerston Gibson flew 20 more operations. He went on to complete 170 sorties and was promoted to Wing Commander and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), all by the age of just 24. Gibson was later chosen to lead the Dambusters and took command of 617 Squadron and given the authority to pick his own new Squadron. He was awarded the Victoria Cross and went on to be the most highly decorated pilot in the RAF and a national hero. Sadly, he was shot down in 1944 during a bombing raid on Rheydt.
“Group outside RAF Scampton Officers Mess,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 17, 2024, Group outside RAF Scampton Officers Mess · IBCC Digital Archive.
The site was put into care and maintenance after operations at RAF Syerston ceased in 1970. The complex was then sold off by the Ministry of Defence and the Al-Jamia Al Islamia School opened in 1994. In 1997 Ofsted inspectors criticised hygiene, safety and teaching standards and the buildings themselves were starting to deteriorate. In the same year, a builder fell off the roof and broke his back. The school was judged to be culpable and the roofer obtained an order banning the sale of the buildings and the land until he was paid compensation. His claim was settled in January 2007 and the school shut later that year.
One of the school’s trustees, Mr Zaheer Rahman, stated their plan was to recoup money for the private investors from the UK Islamic community, who had previously given unsecured loans to the former trustees in order to try and keep the school open. The land was put up for sale and was due to be auctioned at a guide price of £250,000 but was then withdrawn as the trustees could not be sure how much land had been acquired via a compulsory purchase order to widen the A46. In 2009 a suspected arson attack severely damaged one of the wings. The buildings have been in a derelict state since then and have deteriorated further.
In 2016, the owners, The Madni Trust, a Nottingham-based education charity, were given planning permission to build up to a maximum of 95 homes on the site. The three-year period for demolition then ran into problems due to brown long-eared and common pipistrelle bats roosting in the properties, preventing any further works. In 2022, a 5.6m high bat barn was proposed as a potential way forward to the site’s demolition, however, the building remain derelict and the site’s future uncertain.
2. The Explore
Not exactly top of my list to visit, but I was passing, the sun was out and my photos from my previous visit pretty poor, so decided to pop in for a shufty. The place is completely trashed now and it is little more than a shell. However, there are some nice corridors to photograph and the front elevation is worth a picture too. So nothing too exciting but an up-date of this place which has hung on longer than most people expected it too.
3. The Pictures
Front elevation of the main entrance:
In we go:
Main door:
The place is a shell now:
With a tiny amount of semi-decent graff:
Up to the first floor via some pretty solid stairs:
Looking back across the main block:
It’s all about the corridors:
Clearly some modernisation has gone on here:
And here?
Shower room:
Nicely lit corridor:
And some really thrashed rooms:
I now know why this was here!
And back down again:
These stairs have seen better days:
Out and around the back:
The long outbuilding at the back:
A nice piece by Sheffield graff artist Brayk:
And a couple more externals:
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!
The Officers' Mess and Accommodation Quarters for RAF Syerston have been separated from the rest of the base since the building of the new A46 dual carriageway in 2012. The RAF base itself was heavily connected with aviation legends such as Guy Gibson VC, Gus Walker and Bill Reid VC, who were all based there during the war. They used the officers’ mess which was built in 1940 for dining, drinking and accommodation. During his 11 months at Coningsby and latterly Syerston Gibson flew 20 more operations. He went on to complete 170 sorties and was promoted to Wing Commander and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), all by the age of just 24. Gibson was later chosen to lead the Dambusters and took command of 617 Squadron and given the authority to pick his own new Squadron. He was awarded the Victoria Cross and went on to be the most highly decorated pilot in the RAF and a national hero. Sadly, he was shot down in 1944 during a bombing raid on Rheydt.
“Group outside RAF Scampton Officers Mess,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 17, 2024, Group outside RAF Scampton Officers Mess · IBCC Digital Archive.
The site was put into care and maintenance after operations at RAF Syerston ceased in 1970. The complex was then sold off by the Ministry of Defence and the Al-Jamia Al Islamia School opened in 1994. In 1997 Ofsted inspectors criticised hygiene, safety and teaching standards and the buildings themselves were starting to deteriorate. In the same year, a builder fell off the roof and broke his back. The school was judged to be culpable and the roofer obtained an order banning the sale of the buildings and the land until he was paid compensation. His claim was settled in January 2007 and the school shut later that year.
One of the school’s trustees, Mr Zaheer Rahman, stated their plan was to recoup money for the private investors from the UK Islamic community, who had previously given unsecured loans to the former trustees in order to try and keep the school open. The land was put up for sale and was due to be auctioned at a guide price of £250,000 but was then withdrawn as the trustees could not be sure how much land had been acquired via a compulsory purchase order to widen the A46. In 2009 a suspected arson attack severely damaged one of the wings. The buildings have been in a derelict state since then and have deteriorated further.
In 2016, the owners, The Madni Trust, a Nottingham-based education charity, were given planning permission to build up to a maximum of 95 homes on the site. The three-year period for demolition then ran into problems due to brown long-eared and common pipistrelle bats roosting in the properties, preventing any further works. In 2022, a 5.6m high bat barn was proposed as a potential way forward to the site’s demolition, however, the building remain derelict and the site’s future uncertain.
2. The Explore
Not exactly top of my list to visit, but I was passing, the sun was out and my photos from my previous visit pretty poor, so decided to pop in for a shufty. The place is completely trashed now and it is little more than a shell. However, there are some nice corridors to photograph and the front elevation is worth a picture too. So nothing too exciting but an up-date of this place which has hung on longer than most people expected it too.
3. The Pictures
Front elevation of the main entrance:
In we go:
Main door:
The place is a shell now:
With a tiny amount of semi-decent graff:
Up to the first floor via some pretty solid stairs:
Looking back across the main block:
It’s all about the corridors:
Clearly some modernisation has gone on here:
And here?
Shower room:
Nicely lit corridor:
And some really thrashed rooms:
I now know why this was here!
And back down again:
These stairs have seen better days:
Out and around the back:
The long outbuilding at the back:
A nice piece by Sheffield graff artist Brayk:
And a couple more externals:
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!
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