RAF Coltishall is a former RAF base located deep in the Norfolk countryside. It opened in 1938 and was a fighter plane base during the War years, in post-war years night fighters and ground attack craft were stationed there right up until closure in 2006, making it the RAF base with the longest period of continuously stationed fighter planes in the country.
After closure much of the former base was converted into an industrial estate and a large portion was redeveloped as HMP Bure, a Category C prison housing male sex offenders plus a large solar farm.
The former Officers Mess was spared any involvement in those developments, being located near the old married quarters housing. It has remained derelict since closure although it was, apparently, recently sold so it's time may well be limited now. The decay is just beginning to set in rather nicely, and in my opinion it's easily the best example of an officer's mess out there currently. We turned up early in the afternoon so there was a lot of foot traffic about - many dog walkers and kids and such like, but after a slow amble around the perimeter fence and a bit of ingenuity we found the way through we had been looking for, followed by the quick dash to the building and inside. A lovely peaceful explore followed thankfully.
The upper floors on the end wings are both the same empty bedroom areas so we didn't spend much time there, all the goodies are on the ground floor.
Thanks for looking
After closure much of the former base was converted into an industrial estate and a large portion was redeveloped as HMP Bure, a Category C prison housing male sex offenders plus a large solar farm.
The former Officers Mess was spared any involvement in those developments, being located near the old married quarters housing. It has remained derelict since closure although it was, apparently, recently sold so it's time may well be limited now. The decay is just beginning to set in rather nicely, and in my opinion it's easily the best example of an officer's mess out there currently. We turned up early in the afternoon so there was a lot of foot traffic about - many dog walkers and kids and such like, but after a slow amble around the perimeter fence and a bit of ingenuity we found the way through we had been looking for, followed by the quick dash to the building and inside. A lovely peaceful explore followed thankfully.
The upper floors on the end wings are both the same empty bedroom areas so we didn't spend much time there, all the goodies are on the ground floor.
Thanks for looking
