Well here I am, crawling out from under the rock I have resided for the past however long.
What started off as a 'Man, I need a new profile picture for Facebook' turned into a nostalgia filled mini explore that made me feel like writing a report.
It's funny, I grew up next to the hangars in Colerne, but I never really took the chance to have a real look around any of them. The particular hangar I managed to have a little look around was, like I said, nostalgia filled. I learned how to drive a car next to this hangar, and I used to play for the Colerne Rugby team next to this hangar. So in a way, it has always been part of my life growing up.
A couple of years ago, the land was purchased by a developer who wanted to turn the site into housing, which is very much needed in the area, however due to some serious backlash from the local community, it has been put on hold for a reasonably long period of time. From what I have heard, they will be using the actual hangars to hold the flats in, similar to how they have used the old Cadbury factory in Keynsham. Because of this, for the first time, in what feels like forever, the actual gate that the hangars are contained in were open.
I won't lie, I didn't actually get inside the beast, only because I will not force entry into somewhere, but the two outbuildings that connect to the hangar were open. So, after producing my best mates new Profile Picture, I decided to go inside.
Enough of the babble, onto a short history:
A military airfield, opened in 1940, and operational before its building programme was actually completed. Initially the airfield had a grass runway but this was replaced by three hard runways late in 1940. Construction of site buildings and facilities continued into late 1941. Originally the site was conceived as a Aircraft Storage Unit / Maintenance Unit base but because of the desperate situation in 1940 it was also used as a fighter base during the Battle of Britain. During the Battle, it formed part of 10 Group Royal Air Force Fighter Command and was used as a satellite and relief airfield for Middle Wallop, with units using the airfield on an ad hoc basis each day. The wartime base was used by a large number of Squadrons, including British, Canadian and Polish units. Post war the base was used to store surplus aircraft and mainly by transport and communications units. There was a hiatus in flying from 1976-1993 when the base was redesignated as Azimghur Barracks for the army. In 1989 a Ministry of Defence satellite system was built at the airfield. In 1993 RAF flying resumed at a reduced level. Colerne also houses a collection of historic aircraft. A number of the wartime buildings had survived until their demolition in 2002. After this only three type L hangars remained in 2003.
The pictures:
Now that I have your attention, I would like to speak to you about our Lord and Saviour.
Hope you enjoyed.
Let me know what you think below.
Peace.
What started off as a 'Man, I need a new profile picture for Facebook' turned into a nostalgia filled mini explore that made me feel like writing a report.
It's funny, I grew up next to the hangars in Colerne, but I never really took the chance to have a real look around any of them. The particular hangar I managed to have a little look around was, like I said, nostalgia filled. I learned how to drive a car next to this hangar, and I used to play for the Colerne Rugby team next to this hangar. So in a way, it has always been part of my life growing up.
A couple of years ago, the land was purchased by a developer who wanted to turn the site into housing, which is very much needed in the area, however due to some serious backlash from the local community, it has been put on hold for a reasonably long period of time. From what I have heard, they will be using the actual hangars to hold the flats in, similar to how they have used the old Cadbury factory in Keynsham. Because of this, for the first time, in what feels like forever, the actual gate that the hangars are contained in were open.
I won't lie, I didn't actually get inside the beast, only because I will not force entry into somewhere, but the two outbuildings that connect to the hangar were open. So, after producing my best mates new Profile Picture, I decided to go inside.
Enough of the babble, onto a short history:
A military airfield, opened in 1940, and operational before its building programme was actually completed. Initially the airfield had a grass runway but this was replaced by three hard runways late in 1940. Construction of site buildings and facilities continued into late 1941. Originally the site was conceived as a Aircraft Storage Unit / Maintenance Unit base but because of the desperate situation in 1940 it was also used as a fighter base during the Battle of Britain. During the Battle, it formed part of 10 Group Royal Air Force Fighter Command and was used as a satellite and relief airfield for Middle Wallop, with units using the airfield on an ad hoc basis each day. The wartime base was used by a large number of Squadrons, including British, Canadian and Polish units. Post war the base was used to store surplus aircraft and mainly by transport and communications units. There was a hiatus in flying from 1976-1993 when the base was redesignated as Azimghur Barracks for the army. In 1989 a Ministry of Defence satellite system was built at the airfield. In 1993 RAF flying resumed at a reduced level. Colerne also houses a collection of historic aircraft. A number of the wartime buildings had survived until their demolition in 2002. After this only three type L hangars remained in 2003.
The pictures:
Now that I have your attention, I would like to speak to you about our Lord and Saviour.
Hope you enjoyed.
Let me know what you think below.
Peace.
